Violence in the northern mixed city of Acre is continuing Friday, with reports of a near gun battle between an Arab resident of the city and police, who are out in force to calm the situation.

Here are a few interesting statistics about Acre:

According to statistics on the website of the Acre municipality, the average income of residents of the city is 16 percent less than the national average.

According to the Acre website, an average wage for an Acre resident is NIS 4,533. But according to the Central Bureau of Statistics, the national average is somewhere around the NIS 8,100 mark; meaning an almost 50% difference, much larger than the municipality’s stated 16%.

This means a lot of working poor, and all the social ills that come with that. Furthermore, it’s just been reported that the city’s arts festival, which was supposed to kick off next week, has been canceled. The festival usually attracts tens of thousands of Israelis to the city, who then replenish the empty coffers of the stall owners, restaurants and other shops in this city. The cancellation will have a negative effect on the city’s economy, and could exacerbate the security situation even more. Continue reading →