French synagogue destroyed amid Mideast tensions

The tension surrounding Israeli-Palestinian clashes stretch beyond the Middle East

PARIS, France (Reuters) -- A synagogue west of Paris has been burned down while another has been firebombed amid rising tension over violence in the Middle East.

The small synagogue in Trappes was destroyed, with investigators discovering containers of flammable liquid near the premises, a police spokesman said on Wednesday.

A group of youths was seen leaving the synagogue shortly before the flames took hold the previous night, he said.

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The walls and ceilings of another synagogue in Ulis, also west of Paris, suffered minor damage after firebombs were thrown through the windows at ground floor level during the night. The flames were brought under control, the spokesman added.

Tension between Jews and Muslims has mounted in France after Israeli-Palestinian clashes in the Middle East, with synagogues attacked and "death to the Jews" slogans shouted at pro-Arab rallies. Several attacks on Jews have also been reported.

Firebombs were thrown at two synagogues in the Paris area and one in Lyon on Sunday and Monday, causing some damage to the outside of the buildings but no injuries, police and Jewish community representatives said.

Two weeks of Israeli-Palestinian violence have killed at least 90 people, all but five of them Palestinians and Israeli Arabs.

On Tuesday, around 700 pro-Palestinian marchers demonstrated in Brussels, while around 400-500 people took to the streets of the Spanish capital, Madrid.

Reuters contributed to this report.

Palestinian National Authority
Israel Ministry of Foreign Affairs

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