Prospect of more Arab-Jewish riots has police on standby

7 Jews from TA's Tikva neighborhood - accused of launching a campaign of arson attacks on Arab homes in the area - now in police custody.

By YAAKOV LAPPIN, ABE SELIG
acre arrest 224.88 (photo credit: AP)
acre arrest 224.88
(photo credit: AP)
Police have withdrawn large segments of the 1,000-strong force that was sent in to quell the Arab-Jewish riots that rocked Acre two weeks ago, but local and national police forces continue to be on the alert for a sudden explosion of racial violence in other parts of the country. Seven Jewish suspects from Tel Aviv's run-down Tikva neighborhood - accused of launching a campaign of arson attacks on Arab homes in the area - are now in police custody, after Tel Aviv police acted swiftly to put out the fire of racial violence. But the arrests of the past week and a half also prove that disturbances that started in Acre have the potential to spread. For its part, Tel Aviv police are taking no chances. "We have increased patrols in potential friction points, where Jews and Arabs interact across the city," a Tel Aviv Police spokeswoman said. The spokeswoman was quick to point out that the seven arson suspects had acted on their own accord and had not carried out the orders of any outside extremists, in an effort to show that the suspected arsonists were a localized phenomenon. "These youths organized themselves. No one came from the outside to tell them what to do," she said. "From the minute that the Acre riots broke out, we increased our patrols. We believe that the most dangerous point is behind us. If something were to have happened in Tel Aviv as a response to Acre, it would likely have happened by now," she added. Tel Aviv's police force isn't alone - forces in Ramle, Lod and other mixed cities have kept their ears to the ground in case of trouble. At the Israel Police's national headquarters, police planners have kept closely in touch with local forces to acquire an accurate picture of the state of Arab-Jewish tensions on the ground. "Of course, there are national directives for the event of the spreading of violence," a source from the Israel Police Operations Branch said. "But as of now, nothing special has happened. We are listening and remain aware of what is going on around the country. Should there be a need, the Israel Police will provide an answer," the source added. In Jerusalem, the scene of a number of violent confrontations between Jewish and Arab youths, police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby dismissed the recent acts of violence in the capital as the work of shababnikim, or troublemakers, saying the majority of those caught had either not been from Jerusalem or not been from Israel at all, and did not represent the feeling on the streets of the capital. "We've dealt with a lot of American yeshiva students and other non-Israeli citizens who are using their free time from yeshiva to get into trouble," Ben Ruby said. "But this in no way constitutes a rise in violence between the Arab and Jewish residents of Jerusalem, and it certainly bears no resemblance to the events that took place in Acre." He added that "Jerusalem Police have thus far handled everything like they should have, and now that the holidays are over and the yeshivas are getting back to their regular schedule, we expect things to quiet down." But MK Eliyahu Gabai (NU-NRP) told The Jerusalem Post that he felt the environment in Jerusalem was ripe for such violence, saying it was upon the decision-makers in the city to make sure the rule of law was enforced. "It all depends on the Israeli government. If we don't enforce the law, and that means specifically demolishing illegally built homes and the homes of terrorists in east Jerusalem, the Arabs will feel that the law doesn't apply to them. If we don't take control of Jerusalem, I think what happened in Acre will not only happen here, but it will be much more dangerous and much more severe," Gabai warned. "Why did the riots happen in Acre?" he continued. "Because the Arab residents of the town felt like they were in the majority, along with the Arabs of the Galilee. I think the Israeli government needs to go after extremists in the mosques who incite from their muezzins, and anyone who uses a loudspeaker to call for violence needs to be arrested and taken care of by the authorities." Meanwhile, Arab residents of east Jerusalem were quick to brush off the recent violence in the capital, saying they did not believe Jerusalem was headed for clashes like the ones seen up North. "Acre won't come here - at least, not yet," said Yusef, who lives in the Shuafat refugee camp. "In Acre, the Jews and Arabs live together, very close to one another, so the violence erupted and there was no place for each side to go and cool off. In Jerusalem, I think we are very separated compared to Acre, so I don't think it will happen here." "There hasn't been trouble in Shuafat since the first intifada," chimed in another man, Hamed, who said he thought people in his neighborhood had learned better than to take to the streets as people did in Acre. "People here know better, they know that [violence] will only lead them to jail or to something worse. Of course, you have [isolated] incidents of violence, like the attacks in Jerusalem, but as far as a large group - they didn't even throw a rock in Shuafat during the second intifada." "I think that the Jews and Arabs in Jerusalem understand each other better than in Acre," said Fares, who stood nearby. "I'm not saying they all get along, but there are many religious people here, who, no matter what, respect each other's religion. I don't think it would happen here."