Israel president appeals for tolerance after riots

Israeli President Shimon Peres on Monday traveled to the northern port city of Acre where he appealed for tolerance after four days of clashes between Arab and Jewish residents. "I was surprised by the extent of appeals for peaceful coexistence issued by leaders from both sides," he told journalists. "We are destined to live side by side, and a bright future awaits Acre," said Peres, who was accompanied by Interior Security Minister Avi Dichter and Israel's two chief rabbis, Yona Metzger and Shlomo Amar. At least three people were injured and taken to hospital during the four nights of clashes, which erupted on Wednesday as Israel began marking its most solemn day -- Yom Kippur, or the Day of Atonement. The violence erupted after an Arab resident drove through a conservative Jewish neighbourhood blaring music from his car stereo, violating a widely-observed ban on driving. A group of Jewish youths assaulted the driver, accusing him of deliberately making noise and disrupting the sanctity of Yom Kippur. Hundreds of Arabs then took to the streets, damaging around 100 cars and 40 shops, police said. In the ensuing days, Jewish and Arab rioters clashed with each other and with police. Arab Israelis, who number around 20 percent of Israel's population, are descended from those who remained in the Jewish state following Israel's independence in 1948.