Police: Jewish families can return to Peki'in

Five days after the riots in Peki'in, police told the residents Saturday that things are back to normal in the town and gave them the OK to return to their homes.

Police removed roadblocks that had been set up at the town's entrances and said that a communal police station would be established in order to help rebuild damaged relations between the town's Jewish and Druze residents.

The decision to get rid of the checkpoints was made Friday afternoon after an evaluation of the situation in Peki'in by Police Commander, Major-General Dudi Cohen, Chief of the Northern District, Major-General Shimom Koren, and Chief of the Galilee District, Brigadier-General Nir Mariash.

The three police chiefs arrived to the northern town and took a tour of the area in order to visit those injured in the riots and to hear reports from police officers on the ground. The trio concluded that the disturbances in the town were caused by a group of rambunctious youths and that residents are seeking a return to normalcy.

The mayor of Ma'alot, Shlomo Buchbut, arrived to the meeting with police after meeting Muhammad Khir, head of the municipal council of Peki'in, other community leaders and the Asraf family. They decided to set up a state commission of inquiry and to urge police to remove the checkpoints at the town's entrances.

At the meeting with the top police chiefs, Buchbut requested that they remove the roadblocks in order to allow residents of Peki'in to return to their normal routine. He also said that one incident should not be allowed to sour relations between the town's communities and to damage the widespread tourism in the area.

After meeting with Buchbut, police decided to send in replacement Police Superintendent Sheikh Amajid and his colleague the deputy commander of the Border Police's northern district. The two men took a tour of the town in a police vehicle, met with local leaders and returned afterwards expressing confidence that the crisis had passed and it would be appropriate to remove the checkpoints at the towns' entrances.

Jewish families can return home

It was made known to Ynet that, besides the removal of the checkpoints, the police decided to allow the eight Jewish families that live in Old Peki'in to return to their homes. The families had been asked to refrain from returning to their residences in the town until further notice

Police also decided to establish a communal policing center as a way to allow for conflicts between residents to be resolved in an orderly manner.

"We can say with certainty that life is back to normal," police from the northern district said. They added that "it is important to emphasize that there is no connection between the understandings that have been reached here and the law-breakers, those who are to blame for the events preceding the riots and those who took part in the riots; they will be arrested, investigated and brought to justice."