Blood feud grips southern town, forcing transfer of students

Hundreds of students from the Bedouin town of Kuseife are to be transferred to another school as a blood feud between rival families has left the Negev town gripped by fear, Israel Radio reported Sunday.

The move to relocate the students came following a deadly brawl last week in which three people were murdered and over a dozen more were injured in what started as a car-ramming attack.

Eyewitnesses recalled that the bloodshed began when a car began speeding around Kuseife, and occupants of the vehicle fired shots in the air. After local residents gathered in the street to see what was going on, another vehicle arrived at the scene and plowed into the crowd.

According to Israel Radio, men from the family attacked last month are plotting their revenge — three murders as retribution for the three killed in last week’s melee.

Teachers from the town of 15,000 east of Beersheba expressed fear over possible shootings and riots at the school in retaliatory attacks. Workers are afraid to come to the town, Israel Radio reported, and the sole solution is to separate students from the rival families in a bid to prevent further bloodshed.

Police have arrested one suspect believed connected to the murders.