Israel to build first new Druze town in Galilee

The Druze community is to have its first new town in the more than 60 years since Israel was founded. It will be built on a Lower Galilee site near Tiberias, with 400 housing units in the first stage.. Approved Tuesday by the national planning and building Council, the locale will have urban infrastructure, good soil for development, and proximity to places of employment. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu hailed the scheme as only a part of the government’s broader plans for advancing the community in keeping with the state’s commitments. Although a tiny minority, Israel’s 150,000 Druze citizens have a disproportionately high rate of recruitment to the IDF, most serving in combat units and many achieving high rank as officers. They are also represented in Israel’s parliament and government.