Fear stalks streets of Israeli city where Jews and Arabs mixed freely

A Palestinian flag flutters at a traffic circle in the Arab city of Nazareth, Israel May 13, 2021. REUTERS/Rami Ayyub

ACRE, Israel (Reuters) - In the mixed Arab and Jewish city of Acre, the holiday festival of Eid al-Fitr that marks the end of Ramadan would normally see families mingling freely and taking their children to fairs and on boat rides along the coast.

But fear and mistrust pervaded the Israeli port's nearly deserted centre on Thursday, as one resident issued a warning not to speak Hebrew in the old part of the city and a second demanded to see a third's identity papers.