Police arrest Acre Yom Kippur driver

Ahmed Tibi: Will police start to arrest Jews who eat and drink during Ramadan?

By YAAKOV LAPPIN
Police on Monday arrested 48 year-old Jamal Taufik, the driver who entered Jewish east Acre on the evening of Yom Kippur and who is blamed by police for sparking a provocation that deteriorated into several nights of racial violence and rioting. Taufik was brought before an Acre court where he was remanded in custody until Thursday. "In the course of our investigation, we collected material that led to the arrest. The court was shown our evidence and agreed to extend his custody," said Galilee Police spokesman Ch.-Supt. Eran Shaked. Taufik has been accused of reckless driving, endangering lives and offending religious sensibilities. While the latter charge is rarely enforced in Israel, "offending religious sensibilities is a law that can be violated," Shaked said. A number of eyewitnesses in eastern Acre said they saw Taufik's vehicle driving at high speeds on the evening of Yom Kippur, playing loud music and nearly running over a little girl. In an interview with The Jerusalem Post, Taufik denied setting out to provoke Acre's Jews, and claimed he had attempted to keep a low profile during a drive to pick up his daughter. Despite concerns of continuing clashes between police and Jewish and Arab youths, Acre remained largely quiet over Succot, police said. "It is totally quiet tonight," Shaked said, speaking on Tuesday evening. "As of now, we have placed the right number of police officers and directed them to areas of friction, which has allowed for calm at this stage," he added. Some 700 officers, including border policemen, worked 12-hour shifts to maintain the tense calm, sealing off neighborhoods and maintaining continuous foot and car patrols. Road blocks were placed at the city's entrances as police mobilized hundreds of Special Patrol Unit officers and officers on horseback to keep Jewish and Arab hotheads apart. MK Ahmed Tibi (UAL) on Tuesday sharply criticized Taufik's arrest. "It is an unreasonable decision devoid of any legal basis that won't contribute to restoring calm," he said. "The Israel Police has caved in to Jewish hooligans," continued Tibi, adding, "I wonder if they will start to arrest Jews who eat and drink during the month of Ramadan." Also speaking Tuesday, Hadash chairman Muhammad Barakei called Taufik's arrest "outrageous." On Sunday, Acre's Arab leaders released a proclamation apologizing for Taufik's actions. The proclamation was signed by 11 local Arab leaders including MK Abbas Zakour (United Arab List-Ta'al), Acre Deputy Mayor Gazawi Osama, three municipal councilmen - Sliman Wishakhi, Adham Jamal and Salim Nijmi - Sheikh Muhammad Madi and Israel Broadcasting Authority newsman Zoheir Bahlul. Meanwhile, the Syrian regime blasted Israel for the Acre clashes, saying the riots were further proof of Israel's racism, its hatred of Arabs and its desire to "cleanse" the region of any Arab presence. "Not only do the events in Acre emphasize the spread of racism on the Israeli street - racism which goes back to the beginning of Israel's establishment on Palestinian land - they also refute the claim that Israel is a cradle of democracy," said the state-controlled Tishrin newspaper.