Solidarity marchers call for co-existence

Following the Arab-Jewish violence in Acre recently, a group of Arab and Jewish residents went on a solidarity march through the streets of Jaffa.

By MIRIAM BULWAR DAVID-HAY (TRANSLATED)
Following the Arab-Jewish violence in Acre recently, a group of Arab and Jewish residents and Meretz Party activists went on a solidarity march through the streets of Jaffa last week, reports www.local.co.il. The demonstration aimed to show that Jews and Arabs can live side by side and that Jaffa, like Acre an ethnically mixed city, provides a model of cooperation and coexistence. "What happened in Acre should not have happened," a local Arab spokesman said. "It is the duty of everyone to respect the religion and customs of the other. Divisions are not solved by violence, but by discussions." Riots broke out in Acre after an Arab man drove into a Jewish neighborhood during Yom Kippur. According to the report, speakers at the Jaffa demonstration urged leaders on both sides to act responsibly to defuse tensions and to work towards coexistence. "The city of Tel Aviv-Jaffa is a symbol of coexistence and it is our duty to do everything to preserve this special quality and to act to bring about equal citizens' rights," Reform Rabbi Meir Ezri said.