Israel shuts down for Day of Atonement amid fears

JERUSALEM (AP) — The start of the Jewish Day of Atonement at sundown Sunday marked the beginning of a day like no other in Israel, on which even Israelis with no connection to religion tend to put their normal lives on hold.

This year Yom Kippur, the holiest day of the Jewish calendar, comes at a particularly somber time following revelations of a previously hidden Iranian nuclear facility and more missile tests by the Revolutionary Guard.

"That proves to whoever was still in doubt that Iran is the most serious threat today on the peace of the world and its security," said Israeli Deputy Foreign Ministry Danny Ayalon, speaking to Israeli Channel 10.

Israel considers Iran a strategic threat due to its nuclear program, missile development and repeated references by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Israel's destruction.

When Yom Kippur began at around 5 p.m. local time, TV and radio stations blinked off the air, flights in and out of Israel's international airport ceased, and nearly all businesses closed. The streets emptied of cars and cities and highways were eerily quiet.

The country's ordinary bustle receded to the cities and towns that are home to the one-fifth of Israelis who are Muslims and Christians.

But the holiday's apparent calm conflicted with many Israelis' fears about the perceived Iranian threat.

Israel has long said Iran is seeking nuclear weapons, while Tehran insists its facilities are only for producing fuel for power plants.

Many Israelis felt vindicated this week, however, when evidence of a clandestine facility was presented on Friday by President Barack Obama and the leaders of Britain and France at the G-20 economic summit in Pittsburgh.

The facility enriches uranium fuel to power nuclear reactors. Highly enriched fuel, however, can also be used to make weapons.

Israel is widely believed to have a nuclear arsenal of its own.

Even inside Israel, the run-up to the holiday was less than calm. Israeli police used stun grenades to disperse Palestinian rioters on Jerusalem's Temple Mount, known to Muslims as the Noble Sanctuary, police said.

The incident took place during a visit by a Jewish group to the site. Deadly violence has erupted there several times in the past.

Police spokesman Shmuel Ben-Ruby said around 150 Palestinians threw stones at the Jews visiting the site, which is open to non-Muslims at certain hours.