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Tense quiet in Acre after fifth day of rioting By Jack Khoury 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 yesterday 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. Advertisement 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. 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 today as usual. Mayor Shimon Lankri yesterday 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. Lankri also wrote that the city would remain on emergency footing until peace and quiet was restored. He recommended to parents to try and explain to their children what happened. He said that urges typical to teenagers led them to extreme reactions, and they should be encouraged to express their feelings within legal bounds. The statement included the phone numbers of the municipal psychological services and its education and welfare administrations. President Shimon Peres is due to visit the city today to meet with clergy and public figures from all communities. A steady stream of officials visited Acre yesterday, among them Tourism Minister Ruhama Avraham Balila, who announced a PR campaign to bring domestic tourists to the Western Galilee, particularly Acre. She also said a marketing program aimed at the Russian tourist market would be would be formulated for Acre. Culture and Sports Minister Raleb Majadele came to the city in an unsuccessful last-ditch effort to persuade Mayor Lankri to change his mind about canceling to Acre fringe theater festival. 'Refugees in our own city' The Acre municipality yesterday had to deal for the first time since the Second Lebanon War with residents who had lost their homes. This time it was not because of Katyushas from Lebanon that did not differentiate between peoples, but the result of the recent vandalism and riots. This time, all the families who lost their homes were Arab. Dozens of people gathered at the entrance to City Hall yesterday to demand that the municipality finds them alternatives residences. The homes of some had been lost to arson, others were hit by rocks and some people were simply afraid for their lives if they went home. That last group includes the Ramal family: a widowed mother, a son and daughter. The daughter, Walah, 19, tried together with other women to get to their apartment on Alkalai Street, protected by municipal inspectors, but they quickly fled after a crowd of young Jewish men threatened them. "I can't believe we're refugees in our own city," she said. The city said it had found hotel rooms for everyone in the meantime, as it searched for more permanent alternative housing. Preventable violence The violence in Acre would not have happened if the recommendations of the Or Committee had been implemented, the chairman of the Higher Arab Monitoring Committee, Shauki Hatib said yesterday. Speaking at meetings with Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and President Shimon Peres, Hatib said: "We have no choice. We have to go on living together." Knesset members from the United Arab List-Ta'al, Hadash and Balad and the deputy chairman of the northern branch of the Islamic Movement, Sheikh Kamal Hatib, participated in the meeting with Olmert. They presented to Olmert and Peres a petition signed by a quarter of a million Arab Israelis demanding a neutral committee of inquiry to investigate the events of October 2000, in which several days of violence broke out inside Israel and 12 Israeli Arabs and a Palestinian were shot dead by the police. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Seeds of the future An Israeli biofuel project using Africa's jatropha plant may end Mideast oil power. PFLP threat A Palestinian militant group vows to kill MK Lieberman to avenge Acre riots.

Read & React Bradley Burston: This year, this Jew is embracing Jihad Responses: 49 Jesse Jackson: Obama will rid United States of 'Zionist' control Responses: 16 Police arrest driver who sparked Acre riots for 'harming religious sensitivities' Responses: 294 Sources: Hamas has raised price of Shalit deal in wake of Kuntar release Responses: 101 More Headlines 22:13 IDF troops kill Palestinian fire-bomber near West Bank settlement 00:52 Hezbollah hails 'heroic' Arab fight in Acre against 'barbaric' assaults 19:30 Rice pledges to pursue Israel-PA peace until she leaves office 22:12 Labor MK Pines-Paz: New role for Barak in gov't is 'pathetic' 07:37 This year, this Jew is embracing jihad 00:09 Jesse Jackson: Obama will rid United States of 'Zionist' control 21:09 Israeli biofuel project could spell end of Mideast oil power 16:34 Palestinian group vows to kill MK Lieberman to avenge Acre riots 13:54 Syria formally establishes diplomatic ties with Lebanon 01:01 Woman dies in crash while driving pregnant daughter to hospital 16:50 Israel Bank Chief Fischer: This is not the end of capitalism 00:45 U.S. plan to pump $250b into banking system lifts Wall Street stocks 01:15 Acre group to partially reopen festival shut by clashes 20:06 Israel trip helps Brad Pitt shoot Angelina Jolie breastfeeding pics Previous Editions Select Day 14 oct 13 oct 12 oct 10 oct 09 oct 08 oct 07 oct 06 oct 05 oct 03 oct 02 oct 01 oct

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