I was in Acre/Akko in late September for an entire day. It was quiet and peaceful, and there were no signs of any brooding tempers. There are a number of Christian Arabs in the Old City of St. Jean D'Acre, which was also the capital of the Crusader Kingdom of Jerusalem for nearly a century (13th). I truly hope peace shall again return. But this sudden violence is so typical of the Middle East, and demonstrates the uncertainity of living and traveling there. This is also a visible reminder that in Israel and the West Bank, it is definitely not always the Arabs who are the only ones to blame for violence (I refer to Jewish Ultra-Orthodox Settlers, specifically). [I will upload my Acre photos soon to my Photobucket site.]
Angry and confused, Acre residents wonder how everyday life will go on
By Jack Khoury, Haaretz Correspondent
Outgoing prime minister Ehud Olmert called for an end to the violence between Jewish and Arab residents of Acre, saying that there was a feeling that the population of the city was being "held hostage by a group of extremists." Olmert spoke at the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem on Sunday morning, hours after the car of a Jewish Acre resident was torched before dawn as violence between the city's Jewish and Arab residents entered a fifth consecutive day. However, at press time, the violence appeared to be diminishing, and although tension and anger were still palpable, attempts were being made to return to normalcy. Although police remained on alert, the large police contingent that worked to separate Jewish and Arab protesters had time to rest, and the numbers of police seen on the streets had been drastically reduced.
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So far, more than 54 people from both groups have been arrested for involvement in the riots. Some were released and others were remanded for 24 to 48 hours. Police said indictments have been formulated against four people, both Jews and Arabs. Northern District Police commander Maj. Gen. Shimon Koren said police would deal severely with rioters of both groups. In the housing project in the eastern part of town, it was easy to identify the Arab apartments by the damage they had suffered, with uniformed police stationed near some of the undamaged apartments. Meetings were underway all day at City Hall, where the education authorities decided to hold school classes on Monday as usual. Mayor Shimon Lankri on Sunday said in a published statement to residents that events in the city had crossed red lines, the likes of which had not been seen in Acre. "The entire law enforcement system and the municipal authorities do not intend to ignore these events," he wrote.
Read the rest here, including video coverage.
Angry and confused, Acre residents wonder how everyday life will go on
By Jack Khoury, Haaretz Correspondent
Outgoing prime minister Ehud Olmert called for an end to the violence between Jewish and Arab residents of Acre, saying that there was a feeling that the population of the city was being "held hostage by a group of extremists." Olmert spoke at the weekly cabinet meeting in Jerusalem on Sunday morning, hours after the car of a Jewish Acre resident was torched before dawn as violence between the city's Jewish and Arab residents entered a fifth consecutive day. However, at press time, the violence appeared to be diminishing, and although tension and anger were still palpable, attempts were being made to return to normalcy. Although police remained on alert, the large police contingent that worked to separate Jewish and Arab protesters had time to rest, and the numbers of police seen on the streets had been drastically reduced.
Advertisement
So far, more than 54 people from both groups have been arrested for involvement in the riots. Some were released and others were remanded for 24 to 48 hours. Police said indictments have been formulated against four people, both Jews and Arabs. Northern District Police commander Maj. Gen. Shimon Koren said police would deal severely with rioters of both groups. In the housing project in the eastern part of town, it was easy to identify the Arab apartments by the damage they had suffered, with uniformed police stationed near some of the undamaged apartments. Meetings were underway all day at City Hall, where the education authorities decided to hold school classes on Monday as usual. Mayor Shimon Lankri on Sunday said in a published statement to residents that events in the city had crossed red lines, the likes of which had not been seen in Acre. "The entire law enforcement system and the municipal authorities do not intend to ignore these events," he wrote.
Read the rest here, including video coverage.
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