ISRAEL HAYOM
by Eli Leon, Nitzi Yakov, Yoni Hirsch, The Associated Press and Israel Hayom Staff
July 14, 2014

Worshippers injured as protesters try to force way into synagogue • In Los Angeles, officer fires shot to defuse tensions at rally • Moroccan rabbi beaten unconscious • German police megaphone used in anti-Israel rant • Anti-Israel rallies worldwide.

Pro-Palestinian protesters wielding bats and chairs tried to force their way into a Paris synagogue on Sunday, then clashed with security officers who blocked the entrance, according to police and a witness.

The latest round of violence between Israel and Hamas has had a palpable emotional impact in France, home to Western Europe’s largest Muslim population as well as its largest Jewish community. Sunday’s unrest came at the end of a sizable protest in the French capital demanding an end to Israeli strikes on Gaza and accusing Western leaders of not doing enough to stop them.

French Prime Minister Manuel Valls said two Paris synagogues had been targeted by unspecified violence that he called “unacceptable.” In a statement, he said, “France will never tolerate using violent words or acts to import the Israeli-Palestinian conflict onto French soil.” A police spokeswoman said the Don Isaac Abravanel synagogue in eastern Paris was targeted during a service, and worshippers were trapped inside while police pushed protesters back. According to reports, several Jewish worshippers were injured before escaping the mob. The spokeswoman that by Sunday evening, everyone had exited the synagogue safely.

One member of the Jewish community who was involved in the incident told Israel’s Channel 2 news: “It is a form of intifada. They called out anti-Israel slogans and wanted to kill us.” However, France 2 news reported that several members of the extremist Jewish Defense League armed with clubs and Tasers were also present and clashed with pro-Palestinian protesters…..

…..In Germany, police allowed an anti-Israel protester to climb inside a police car and shout slogans including “Child murderer Israel” and “Allahu Akbar” — Arabic for “God is great” — through a police megaphone, a spokeswoman for Frankfurt’s police said Sunday. Police let the protester use the megaphone during a Free Gaza demonstration Saturday because he had offered to calm down a protest that had turned violent, spokeswoman Virginie Wegner told The Associated Press…..

…..Meanwhile, Rabbi Moshe Ohayon of Morocco’s Jewish community in Casablanca was attacked on Friday. According to Channel 2 reports, a young man waited for the rabbi near the synagogue, then beat him repeatedly, breaking several of his ribs and causing him to lose consciousness. The attacker reportedly asked the rabbi what the Israeli military was doing to his “brothers,” before hitting him.

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