(artillery firing)

- [Julie] Disturbances and rioting

in Israel's major citiesis the worst in decades.

- What we saw in the streets is something

that was reminding us ofthe days of the pogroms

in 1948, in 1947, in 1936, in 1967.

That is unacceptable.

We want the Israeli Arab culture,

we want the Israeli Arab communities

to calm the situation down.

- [Julie] Israel Policespokesman Micky Rosenfeld says

authorities have usedonly non-lethal methods

to control the violence.

- [Micky] It's come fromthe Israeli Arab community

who have attacked policeofficers, burned vehicles.

Tens of vehicles of civilianshave also been burned

in the different cities.

- [Julie] Rosenfeld tells CBN News

the incidents began inJerusalem's Old City

during the Muslim holy month of Ramadan.

- [Micky] But unfortunately,local residents,

local communities, local individuals,

the majority of them youngsters,have taken to the streets.

We've made over 950arrests across the country

and 255 police officers havebeen injured in the violence

since the last two weeks.

- [Julie] In the initial violence,

Arab rioters attacked Jews and synagogues,

and the violence alsoprompted Jewish self-defense

and revenge attacks such as this one

caught live on Israeli television.

- The majority of those individuals

being individuals with criminal records

were taking to the street anddefending themselves as well

in the majority of situations.

Unfortunately, therewere one or two incidents

that took place where theybeat up people in the streets,

which is absolutely unacceptable.

- [Julie] Meanwhile, Israel'sPresident Reuven Rivlin

brought together Muslim, Christian,

and Jewish religious leaders and educators

from the northern Israelimixed city of Akko.

(speaking in foreign language)

- [Interpreter] This is home to us all

and we protect our home,

not with clubs and knives,

not with stones and firearms

that sow destruction and ruin,

but first and foremost, bymaintaining law and order,

which are the most basic guarantors

of personal safety for life.

(rabbi speaking in foreign language)

- [Interpreter] We hadthree awful days here

and we are still traumatized.

Our town is a specialplace, a place where we live

and where coexistenceis not just a slogan.

Here, we live shared lives

and have been working on it for years.

You can see the results.

(imam speaking in foreign language)

- [Interpreter] I hopethat we can get things

back to normal.

We will bring calm back to Akko.

The people here have worked very hard,

invested a great deal instopping the violence.

As the rabbi said, Akko is a place

where you feel the calmand the coexistence.

- [Julie] Arrests are ongoing,

and Rosenfeld hopes thesituation calms down

so police can decrease thenumber of officers on the ground.

Julie Stahl, CBN News, Jerusalem.

(protesters shouting)