'Both religions must live together'

From: www.jpost.com

By: JPOST.COM STAFF

Following the first quiet night in Acre since the outbreak of Arab-Jewish violence on the eve of Yom Kippur, President Shimon Peres arrived in the divided town and met with Arab and Jewish leaders. The president expressed surprise over the good will that existed between the two sides, and stressed the need to keep the clashes from boiling over and spreading to other mixed towns.

"I was pleasantly surprised by the strength and the will to conduct dialogue and make peace," Peres said following the meeting in Acre City Hall. He congratulated Israel's chief rabbis for coming to Acre on the eve of Succot to try and bridge the gaps between the leaders of the Jewish and Arab communities. "We must prevent the spreading of riots and prevent anyone coming to physical harm. The sadness over all that has happened notwithstanding, I am glad that no one was hurt."

During the meeting with Peres, Acre leaders decided to assemble an inter-religious forum that would be compiled of rabbis and sheikhs, who would be charged with taking to the streets to calm the charged atmosphere. Peres explained that the point of the forum was to track the developments on the ground and try to maintain the tentative quiet established in the city.
"We can differ in terms of religion, but not in terms of the law," the president said, calling for the delicate coexistence to be upheld. "Both religions must be capable of living with a sense of mutual respect, and pray to a god who is one to us all."

The fact that no one had been killed in the initial outbreak of riots is "a miracle" and should be attributed to the police, Peres said. "It is important to state that at this point we are at a precipice and we must stop the deterioration. Everyone must speak to their respective communities and calm the atmosphere."

Despite the relative calm prior to the president's visit, police were planning to maintain a special presence in the city over Succot.

"Police forces will continue to put an emphasis on preventing vandalism to religious symbols and civilians from coming to physical harm," Police Chief Insp.-Gen. David Cohen said. Cohen held a situation assessment with police commanders in the North ahead of the holiday. He stressed that the forces were instructed to show no tolerance to anyone who disrupted the peace.