BICOM

A number of people have been injured in ongoing clashes between Druze and Muslim residents of the town of Abu Snan, in Northern Israel. 43 people were hurt, six seriously and one remains in critical condition.

Yediot Ahronot reports that the riots were sparked when Muslim residents of the town went to their high school wearing Kaffiehs in memory of Khair al-Din Hamdan, who was killed in the rioting in Kfar Kana last week. However, this offended many Druze students who felt that it was insulting to Jaadan Assad, a Druze who was murdered in a terrorist attack in Jerusalem.

In response, the Druze students wore Druze symbols and Israeli national symbols, including the Star of David. Following clashes at the school, Muslim residents posted offensive pictures to the social media accounts of Druze girls in the town, leading to a violent confrontation on Saturday night.

The brawling became extremely violent, with one resident trying to run down a group and ultimately being pulled out of his car and beaten. Tensions continue.

Abu Snan was historically a mixed Druze/Christian village with a small Muslim population for a few hundred years, but in recent years the number of Muslim residents has increased to 7000, versus 4000 Druze and about 2000 Christians.