Special report: Palestine-Israel Relations    

    JERUSALEM, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- Israel's outgoing Prime Minister Ehud Olmert Sunday repeated his call for an end to the Jewish-Arab clashes in the northern town of Acre, vowing that a zero-tolerance policy will be enforced to handle the violence, local news service Ynet reported.

    "I have instructed the police to show zero tolerance and bring about a cessation of the violence" in Acre, Olmert was quoted as saying at a weekly cabinet meeting.

Israeli border police patrol northern coastal city of Acre following clashes between Jews and Arabs October 11, 2008. Rioters in northern Israel torched two houses and badly damaged several others in the third night of tensions between Jewish and Arab residents of Acre, officials said on Saturday.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

    The northern Israeli city of Acre entered into the fifth day of unrest since the clashes between Arabs and Jews erupted on Wednesday evening when an Arab resident drove through a conservative Jewish neighborhood while most Jews observe a religious ban on driving during the Yom Kippur holiday.

    A total of 54 Jewish and Arab residents have been arrested, about a dozen of homes owned by Arab families set on fire, and tens of cars torched or damaged so far.

    Noting that the coastal city of 50,000 people has "excelled in living together" for years, Olmert said that there was a feeling that the Acre population was being "held hostage by a group of extremists from both sides," leading them to violence, fanaticism and a loss of the right criteria.

    Meanwhile, Olmert also appealed for "mutual respect and mutual tolerance" between Jewish and Arab residents in Israel, saying that he is seeking to create a situation where "we moderate radical views, reduce the friction and create a dialogue out of the belief that there is no escape from living together."

    The latest remarks echoed those he made on Thursday, when he called on local residents to make every effort to calm the tensions, saying that coexistence between Jews and Arabs in Israelis of great importance, particularly in mixed cities.

    On Friday, Olmert's would-be successor Tzipi Livni also urged the police to show determination in dealing with the violence during a tour to the ancient city, and warned that Israel will not allow citizens to take the law into their hands. 

An Israeli Arab woman examines the damage in her house following clashes between Jews and Arabs in Israel's northern coastal city of Acre October 11, 2008. Rioters in northern Israel torched two houses and badly damaged several others in the third night of tensions between Jewish and Arab residents of Acre, officials said on Saturday.(Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>

Gaza militants vow revenge for Acre violence

    GAZA, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- Leaders of several Gaza militant groups Sunday vowed to revenge Israel for the violence erupted in the northern Israeli city of Acre between Jews and Arabs.

    Abu Abeer, spokesman of Salah el-Dein Brigades, the armed wing of the Popular Resistance Committees (PRC) in Gaza told reporters that "the response to the crimes against our Palestinian brothers won't take too long." Full story


Israel arrests 7 Palestinians in West Bank raids

    RAMALLAH, Oct. 12 (Xinhua) -- Israeli forces Sunday arrested seven Palestinians in their predawn raids on the West Bank towns of Nablus and Hebron, Palestinian sources said.

    In Nablus alone, residents said the army stormed the town at 2 a.m. (0000 GMT) and the soldiers broke into a number of houses. They smashed furniture in some houses after arresting four residents of the town. Full story