Acre, Israel
22 October 2008
Recent clashes between Jews and Israeli Arabs in the northern Israeli
city of Acre have highlighted tensions that exist between Arabs and
Jews - even in areas of the country where the two have coexisted
peacefully for decades. VOA's Luis Ramirez reports from Acre that
Arabs in Israel want equality and an end to discrimination.
Conflict is no stranger to the ancient Mediterranean port city of
Acre. In millenniums past, the city has been the scene of a bloody
rebellion against the Assyrians, been conquered by the Crusaders, and
resisted Napoleon.
Since the establishment of the state of
Israel in 1948, the picturesque city - on the list of the UNESCO world
heritage sites - has been touted as a shining example of coexistence
between its 70 percent Jewish majority and 30 percent Arab minority.
That image was shattered this month, when Jews and Arabs went on a
rampage.
It started on the eve of Yom Kippur, Judaism's
holiest day, when an Arab, Tawfiq Jamal, drove his car, blaring loud
music, through a Jewish neighborhood. Angered, Jewish youths chased
and besieged the man.
Rumors that he had been killed spread
quickly through Arab neighborhoods, drawing hundreds of mostly young
Arabs to the Jewish neighborhood to retaliate. This man, a Jew, was
inside his home when it was surrounded by Arab youths.
He says
hundreds of Arabs arrived at his house in the middle of the night,
faces covered, turning over cars, breaking windows. He says his mother
and father in law were terrified as hundreds surrounded the house,
yelling "God is Great" in Arabic.
Jewish youths retaliated by setting fire to homes of Arabs and attacking their cars.
Most of the smashed cars have been hauled away and broken store windows repaired, but Acre remains a city in fear.
Police have been posted to the main thoroughfares to check cars coming in and soldiers patrol the streets.
Acre's
old city and waterfront, usually crowded with tourists during the
Jewish holidays, is nearly deserted. An Arab and owner of a souvenir
shop, says he has not sold a thing in days.
He says the
situation in Acre is very bad and reminds him of the Palestinian
uprising eight years ago, when for two years he opened his shop in the
morning and closed at sundown without selling one thing.
He
and other Arab businesspeople on the Acre waterfront say tensions have
been rising in recent years as the local authorities promote a plan to
gentrify the old city.
He says he believes the Jews clearly want to push the Arab merchants out in order to bring investors in.
Arab
activists say that while Israeli Arabs have full citizens' rights and
are entitled to public health and other benefits, they continue to
suffer discrimination in city services, education, and housing.
Sami Hawari is an Arab community advocate and writer.
"The
façade of coexistence in this city between Arabs and Jews, it is false
advertising and I believe there is a lot of conflict between Arabs and
Jews," he said. "Actually, Acre is representative of Israel. It is a
microcosm of what is happening between Arabs and Jews in this land."
In
the days after the riots, some Jewish factions distributed leaflets
urging Jews not to patronize Arab shops. This 66-year-old Arab woman
in Acre's old city says actions like these are doing little to heal
wounds.
She says those who distributed the leaflets should be
ashamed of themselves. Arabs, she says, make money off Jews and Jews
make money off Arabs. Both should avoid attacking each other. But at
the same time, she says if any Jew attacks an Arab, the Arabs will
strike back.
Unlike their fellow Arabs in the Palestinian
territories, Israeli Arabs consider themselves Israeli citizens. They
enjoy democracy, the benefits of Israel's national health system,
access to Israeli education, and the opportunities that Israel's strong
economy offers. Virtually all Arabs interviewed in Acre say they would
never consider moving to newly independent Palestinian state.
Near
the scene of the riots, young Israelis - Jews and Arabs - gather for a
quiet peace rally. A 30-year-old Jewish man attending the rally says
both sides have no choice but to coexist.
"There is sort of the
reality that it will never change. [Both] people live in the place and
I cannot see them going out of the place. So even if there will be two
states, I believe that Arabs will live in Jewish places ... and we will
have to both learn how to make it happen," he said
Israelis
disagree on how best to ensure peaceful coexistence. On the left, some
politicians urge greater spending on social services for Arabs. On the
right, some are calling for tougher law enforcement and penalties for
those who disturb the peace, while extremists call for deportation of
all Arabs.