Comments on: Violence in Acre http://blog.z-word.com/2008/10/violence-in-acre/ Commentary about Zionism, anti-Zionism, antisemitism and the conflict in the Middle East Fri, 19 Mar 2010 21:31:24 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5-RC1.1 By: Umm al Fahm Reprieved from Far Right Threat at Z-Word Blog http://blog.z-word.com/2008/10/violence-in-acre/#comment-2483 Umm al Fahm Reprieved from Far Right Threat at Z-Word Blog Sun, 14 Dec 2008 14:22:31 +0000 http://blog.z-word.com/?p=403#comment-2483 [...] so soon after the riots between Jews and Arabs in Acre, the last thing Israel needs is an escalation in Umm al [...] […] so soon after the riots between Jews and Arabs in Acre, the last thing Israel needs is an escalation in Umm al […]

]]> By: Jeremy http://blog.z-word.com/2008/10/violence-in-acre/#comment-1638 Jeremy Fri, 17 Oct 2008 15:19:12 +0000 http://blog.z-word.com/?p=403#comment-1638 Your account of what happened left out a key detail which was reported elsewhere. After the incident with the car (in which noone was seriously injured) the loudspeaker system of a mosque was used to incite Arab rioters with the false claim that an Arab had been killed by Jews. This was the decisive factor which turned a minor incident into a large-scale riot involving acts of violence committed by hundreds of people. Your account of what happened left out a key detail which was reported elsewhere. After the incident with the car (in which noone was seriously injured) the loudspeaker system of a mosque was used to incite Arab rioters with the false claim that an Arab had been killed by Jews. This was the decisive factor which turned a minor incident into a large-scale riot involving acts of violence committed by hundreds of people.

]]> By: Noga http://blog.z-word.com/2008/10/violence-in-acre/#comment-1587 Noga Sat, 11 Oct 2008 16:09:34 +0000 http://blog.z-word.com/?p=403#comment-1587 It looks like the story has not ended.... http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/violence-rattles-ancient-port-city-in-israel/ It looks like the story has not ended….

http://pajamasmedia.com/blog/violence-rattles-ancient-port-city-in-israel/

]]> By: Noga http://blog.z-word.com/2008/10/violence-in-acre/#comment-1583 Noga Fri, 10 Oct 2008 23:18:59 +0000 http://blog.z-word.com/?p=403#comment-1583 Update: "Just an ordinary man who didn’t think, and did something really idiotic. " http://imshin.net/?p=953 I'm wondering about the mob reaction. Is this the secular, liberal, laid back Israeli society of my younger years? So what if a car passes by on a Yom Kippur? How different is this reaction from Muslim crazies who take offense from a cartoon? Who respond to a perceived insult? Some urgent re-education in civic behaviour and duty is needed, the sooner the better. Update:

“Just an ordinary man who didn’t think, and did something really idiotic. ”

http://imshin.net/?p=953

I’m wondering about the mob reaction. Is this the secular, liberal, laid back Israeli society of my younger years? So what if a car passes by on a Yom Kippur? How different is this reaction from Muslim crazies who take offense from a cartoon? Who respond to a perceived insult? Some urgent re-education in civic behaviour and duty is needed, the sooner the better.

]]> By: Imshin http://blog.z-word.com/2008/10/violence-in-acre/#comment-1578 Imshin Fri, 10 Oct 2008 14:09:51 +0000 http://blog.z-word.com/?p=403#comment-1578 According to some of the news sources, it certainly was a religious neighborhood. Some of the sources cite eyewitnesses who claimed they saw this Honda racing along with the car radio blaring out, an obvious affront (but possibly also a giveaway to his being an Arab). They claimed they thought the car was racing towards two young girls sitting in the park, and had thoughts that it was perhaps a terrorist attack, similar to several such attacks in Jerusalem recently. The driver denies all this of course, saying he was driving slowly and didn't have the radio on. According to what I read, it all happened at about 11pm, not at midnight. In my neighborhood, albeit pretty secular, although it does have a sizable Haredi population, the streets are full of people well after that hour on Erev Yom Kippur. According to some of the news sources, it certainly was a religious neighborhood. Some of the sources cite eyewitnesses who claimed they saw this Honda racing along with the car radio blaring out, an obvious affront (but possibly also a giveaway to his being an Arab). They claimed they thought the car was racing towards two young girls sitting in the park, and had thoughts that it was perhaps a terrorist attack, similar to several such attacks in Jerusalem recently. The driver denies all this of course, saying he was driving slowly and didn’t have the radio on.

According to what I read, it all happened at about 11pm, not at midnight. In my neighborhood, albeit pretty secular, although it does have a sizable Haredi population, the streets are full of people well after that hour on Erev Yom Kippur.

]]> By: shriber http://blog.z-word.com/2008/10/violence-in-acre/#comment-1576 shriber Fri, 10 Oct 2008 02:37:26 +0000 http://blog.z-word.com/?p=403#comment-1576 "Cool heads must prevail. Arab politicians should not make irresponsible, offensive comparisons between state-sponsored persecution which ended in extermination and inter-communal tensions. Equally, Jewish politicians should not taunt the authorities with fatuous claims that violent antisemitism is tolerated in Israel, nor engage in hate speech about population transfer. Such statements do nothing to address the heart of the problem: how Jews and Arabs can share and live together in Israel’s democracy. There are no other civilized alternatives." Well said, though there is one comparison which is appropriate: that of the recent rioting Muslim "youth" in France and elsewhere in Europe. Comparing these minor disturbances to the Hoolocaust or even a pogrom is like comparing a rifle shot in the air to the dropping of an atomic bomb. “Cool heads must prevail. Arab politicians should not make irresponsible, offensive comparisons between state-sponsored persecution which ended in extermination and inter-communal tensions. Equally, Jewish politicians should not taunt the authorities with fatuous claims that violent antisemitism is tolerated in Israel, nor engage in hate speech about population transfer. Such statements do nothing to address the heart of the problem: how Jews and Arabs can share and live together in Israel’s democracy. There are no other civilized alternatives.”

Well said, though there is one comparison which is appropriate: that of the recent rioting Muslim “youth” in France and elsewhere in Europe.

Comparing these minor disturbances to the Hoolocaust or even a pogrom is like comparing a rifle shot in the air to the dropping of an atomic bomb.

]]> By: Noga http://blog.z-word.com/2008/10/violence-in-acre/#comment-1575 Noga Fri, 10 Oct 2008 01:22:22 +0000 http://blog.z-word.com/?p=403#comment-1575 An Israeli Jew driving on Shabbat in an orthodoc neighbourhood would have been similarly pelted with stones. I wonder if the neighbourhood in question was something like that. I also wonder how they would know the driver was an Arab and not just some Israeli Jew who didn't care about Yom Kippur. And how would people, probably in bed at midnight, would have time to jump out of bed, put on their clothes, rush out of their homes, find the rocks and still manage to aim them at a passing car. Something does not make compute in this story. I'm also a bit disappointed that the average Israeli should lose their cool over a provocation like that. Wouldn't it have been much more to the point to call the police with a complaint about someone disturbing the public peace and let them deal with culprit? There is a lot more to this story that is not being told. An Israeli Jew driving on Shabbat in an orthodoc neighbourhood would have been similarly pelted with stones. I wonder if the neighbourhood in question was something like that. I also wonder how they would know the driver was an Arab and not just some Israeli Jew who didn’t care about Yom Kippur. And how would people, probably in bed at midnight, would have time to jump out of bed, put on their clothes, rush out of their homes, find the rocks and still manage to aim them at a passing car. Something does not make compute in this story.

I’m also a bit disappointed that the average Israeli should lose their cool over a provocation like that. Wouldn’t it have been much more to the point to call the police with a complaint about someone disturbing the public peace and let them deal with culprit?

There is a lot more to this story that is not being told.

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