By Joel Leyden
Israel News Agency

Acco, Israel --- October 11, 2008 ....... A Facebook group addressing Jews in Israel who condemn fanatical Jews who riot in Acco (Akko) Israel has opened today.

The Facebook group, which sees a direct connection by Jewish extremists who threaten Israeli Arabs and those Arabs then running to and being welcomed by Islamic terror groups, is entitled: I am a Proud Israeli Jew Who Condemns Acco (Akko) Jews Who Riot.

The Israel Facebook group states that it's goal is: "By becoming a member of this group, I declare that I am a proud Israel Jew who has, is, will or would serve in the Israel Defense Forces to fight Islamic terrorism and condemn those Jews who have rioted in Acco (Akko)."

The Facebook Web 2.0 Internet forum continues its description: "That one drunk Israel Arab who desecrated the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur in Acco was no reason for some Jews in Acco to take the law into their own hands and respond by rioting, destroying property and attacking innocent Israeli Arabs and members of the Israeli police force. I salute the Arab leadership in Acco for condemning Tawfiq Jamal's decision to drive on Yom Kippur and for taking steps that Arabs in Acco will respect Jewish holidays.

Furthermore, I as a Left wing, Right wing or politically moderate Jew also condemn the Israeli Arabs who rioted and the Rabbis who have stood by in silence when they should have condemned the Jews who rioted. Acco ( Acre ) is a peaceful city where both Jews and Arabs live and work together.
The only organizations which gain from Jews rioting in Acco are Islamic terror groups which will welcome moderate Israeli Arabs who have been attacked by Jews in Acco. The riots must stop. There is no room in an Israeli democracy for racism.

I enter proudly into this group and pray for the safety of the Israeli police who are trying to bring back law, order and security for both Jews and Arabs in Acco."

Violence erupted in Acco (Akko Acre) after an Arab motorist entered a predominantly Jewish neighborhood this past Thursday on Yom Kippur, the holiest of Jewish days.

The incident quickly developed into a mass riot involving hundreds of Jews and Israel Arabs, during which dozens of cars and over 30 Arab stores were destroyed.

Last night Israel firefighters and police were alerted to two different apartments owned by Arabs, which had been ignited by rioters. The fires were extinguished and no injuries sustained, though severe property damaged was sustained.

Police fired water cannons today to disperse stone-throwing rioters in Acre, a former Crusader stronghold, arresting 32 from both sides on a day when three Arab homes were also torched and damaged, Micky Rosenfeld, a police spokesman said.

A tentative calm has been restored to Akko after the late-night riots that swelled through the city ended with several arrests, three cases of apartment arson, and three civilian injuries.

Arabs began to throw stones at dozens of Jewish youths who formed a crowd in one of the city's eastern neighborhoods. One hundred and fifty people surrounded an apartment building in which an Arab family and a Jewish family reside.

Israel police detained a number of Jewish protesters, and began to disperse the remaining crowd with the help of stun grenades, tear gas, and water hoses. Officers also raided the apartment building and detained some of the family members rioting within.

Jewish protesters became enraged at the arrest, and surrounded Northern District Israel Police Chief Shimon Koren, demanding that the detainees be released. Officers remained to guard the apartment building throughout the night in order to prevent further property damage.

The Israel Prime Minister-designate and Kadima Party chairwoman Tzipi Livni censured the Yom Kippur riots in Akko (Acco) asserting, during a meeting with Acco city mayor Shimon Lankry, that "Jewish citizens cannot be allowed to take the law into their own hands."

"All Israel citizens should respect the holy day of Yom Kippur when they are outside their home."

Israel President Shimon Peres joined several officials calling for calm and reconciliation in the city of Akko, which was plagued by riots on Thursday.

"I call on all of the residents to take leave of their impulses and anger and to cease immediately all rioting, accusations, and threats," he said. "No one stands to gain anything from these riots, they are everybody's loss."

Peres added that incidents of this kind are incompatible with the city's character, and affect the country as a whole. "There is not a single person in Israel who does not regret what is happening in Akko. There is no need for the city to look like this, for such incidents to occur, incidents that shame the city's residents," he said.

"For years and years things have been conducted differently in Akko. We must extinguish these flames immediately, and all of the city's residents, Jews and Arabs, must cooperate."

The Arab community in Akko, Israel has announced that it will distribute a flier condemning the use of a vehicle by an Arab resident on Yom Kippur. "We decided to write the flier condemning the use of a car on Yom Kippur in Hebrew. It will be distributed in the neighborhood where the incident occurred, this evening or tomorrow at the latest," said MK Zkoor, adding that the decision to take action had been agreed upon in a meeting held by the city's Arab leadership – which included the deputy mayor, Arab municipal councilmen, radio personality Zoher Bahalul and Zkoor.

Israel Public Security Minister Avi Dichter vowed to put the "perpetrators and inciters" of the Acre violence "behind lock and key."

Thousands of Israel policemen were deployed throughout Akko (Acco) on Friday and Saturday. Their presence was effective in reducing the violence. But Acco, Israel was still far from normal. The Old City, normally packed on weekends, was virtually empty, aside from work crews dismantling preparations for the theater festival that was supposed to have taken place this week, but has now been canceled.

Arab merchants, their shops empty, were worriedly discussing a Jewish boycott against Arab businesses and "deal with the Arabs forcefully." Threats that could only result in making members of Hamas and Islamic Jihad smile as moderate Israel Arab may turn to and be welcomed by terror groups.

The fanatical Jews who have rioted in Acco are either ignorant or too arrogant as to care for the consequences of their reckless behavior which could have a direct impact on Israel's security.

The Islamic Jihad terror group called on Friday for Palestinians to take to the streets in solidarity with the Arabs of Akko and Arabs in Israel, in general, "due to the racist aggression and brutality of the occupation and the bullying of the settlers."

Speaking to Israel Radio, Lieberman termed the incidents a pogrom carried out by Arabs and compared it to Kristallnacht, the night of shattered glass in 1938 Germany, in which Jewish properties were widely ransacked. MK Arieh Eldad (NRP-NU) also called the riots a "pogrom" and said police "shouldn't be surprised when Jews take up arms to protect themselves."

Seth Freedman, a columnist for the Guardian, responded: "That anyone should feel so affronted by a non-Jewish citizen driving his car on Yom Kippur that they hurl rocks in response is as absurd a reaction as the recently-exposed ultra-orthodox vigilantes in Jerusalem, who take the law into their own hands to uphold religious law. For a country so determined to criticize - rightly - the Taliban-style behavior of many Arab states, it is incredible that such practices are not clamped down upon when they occur closer to home.

There is much to be said for respecting others' religions and customs, but at the same time "your freedom ends where my nose begins" cannot - and must not - be allowed to extend to a national scale. When that happens, and when the state apparatus fails to condemn such behavior, then the game is well and truly up. And all the screams of "pogrom" in the world won't cover up who the true Cossacks are in such a case."

The above news content was edited and SEO optimized in Israel for the Internet by the Leyden Communications Group.

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