Israeli city hit by fresh clashes

Police say the riots were some of the worst violence Acre has seen in years

Israeli police have clashed with Jewish protesters in the northern city of Acre on the third day of violence involving Jews and Israeli-Arabs.

Police fired water cannon at a crowd of at least 200 people to prevent them from entering an Arab neighbourhood.

It came as the prime minister-designate visited the city to appeal for calm.

The trouble broke out late on Wednesday after an Israeli-Arab man was assaulted for driving his car during Yom Kippur - the holiest day in the Jewish calendar.

Most of Israel comes to a standstill on Yom Kippur - the Day of Atonement - for a sombre day of fasting, during which it is considered offensive to drive in much of Israel.

The Arab man, Tawfik Jamal, was reportedly attacked by youths who said he was making noise intentionally.

Mr Jamal is reported to have said he was simply driving to a property he owned in the eastern part of the city.

High alert

Friday's violence occurred just hours after Tzipi Livni, who is trying to form a new government after the resignation of Ehud Olmert, urged people from both communities not to let anger turn into the violence.

Jews and Arabs must stop immediately this violence which will not benefit anyone Shimon Peres Israeli president Riots shock mixed Israeli city

"The only message to be relayed today - and this is for the national leadership, the local leadership, everyone - from now on, we take ourselves in hand, embrace each other, together," she said.

Earlier, Israeli President Shimon Peres appealed for calm saying the violence would "not benefit anyone".

Security forces were already on high alert, and some 500 extra officers had been deployed in Acre to assist the 200-strong local police force.

Police said that the "large-scale" Jewish-Arab rioting, which erupted late on Wednesday, was the worst that the city had seen in recent years.

About one third of Acre's population of almost 50,000 residents are Israeli-Arabs, with the highest concentration in the Old City.

Israeli-Arabs are people of Palestinian origin whose forbears remained in Israel after the foundation of the country in 1948.

They number about one million - about one-fifth of the Israeli population - and although they have full rights as Israeli citizens, human rights groups say they face discrimination and exclusion.