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Israelis and Arabs clash over car-free Yom Kippur
09 Oct 2008 19:02:28 GMT
 Source: Reuters
JERUSALEM, Oct 9 (Reuters) - Israeli Arab members of parliament on Thursday demanded better police protection for Arabs after a clash over religious observance led to a riot on Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar.

Arab witnesses said Jewish youths stoned a car carrying Arabs in the northern coastal city of Acre during the fast day on Wednesday, when traditionally all traffic stops in Jewish parts of Israel.

Israeli police spokesman Micky Rosenfeld said the three Arab occupants of the car were confronted by Jewish youths. He said no one was hurt in the clash, which erupted at about midnight.

About 100 cars and 40 shops were damaged by Arab youths who heeded a call from mosques to go out on to the streets, Rosenfeld said. Several Arabs were arrested on Thursday.

The ancient port of Acre is populated by Jews and Arabs who live in adjacent and some mixed neighbourhoods.

"Police moved in quickly to try to calm tensions and removed the car from a closed street in a Jewish neighbourhood when the three people inside were confronted by local residents," Rosenfeld said.

"Officers spoke to local leaders of the Arab community to try to calm tensions but Arab youths went out onto the streets and damaged many cars, shops and street fixtures."

Rosenfeld said police units remained at the scene for the rest of Yom Kippur on Thursday to calm the situation. The fast ended at dusk.

Israeli Arab parliamentarians demanded that police be deployed during Yom Kippur to stop Jewish youths from starting trouble, the website of the Haaretz newspaper said.

Knesset member Mohamad Barakeh said the incident had less to do with Yom Kippur than a deliberate "escalation of racist speech" ahead of Israeli municipal elections next month.

"We see a great danger in these attacks. They are similar to the pogroms that Jews were exposed to at the hands of the Nazi gangs in Germany," Barakeh told Reuters.

When Acre police intervened, Barakeh said, "they fired rubber bullets and tear gas" to prevent Arabs defending their homes.

Rosenfeld said tear gas and stun grenades were used, but not rubber bullets. (Writing by Douglas Hamilton and Ori Lewis; Editing by Andrew Dobbie)


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