Israeli Embassy In Paris Destroyed By Fire

May 23, 2002
PARIS, May 23 (Reuters) - Flames tore through the Israeli embassy in Paris early on Thursday in a devastating blaze that police and the ambassador said was probably caused by an electrical short circuit.

Only the walls were left standing after the blaze swept through the old building in central Paris within minutes of starting before 2 a.m. (midnight GMT). Eight of 150 firemen at the scene were hurt but no one else was injured.

Ambassador Elie Barnavi told reporters he could not rule out terrorism -- which would make the blaze the worst of a recent series of anti-Semitic attacks in France -- but said an accident seemed the most likely cause.

Displaying concern after the recent attacks and criticism from Jewish groups abroad, France's Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin and his foreign and interior ministers rushed to the embassy. President Jacques Chirac telephoned Barnavi.

"Initial indications from our investigation indicate it appears to be accidental in origin, perhaps a short circuit," said a Paris police spokeswoman.

"It's most probably an accident," Barnavi, flanked by three bodyguards, told reporters who were kept at a distance from the six-storey building in the capital's chic eighth district. "The most probable theory is that it was a short circuit," he said, noting that the embassy's ground floor was being renovated.

ARCHIVES DESTROYED

Barnavi said lots of "memories" had been destroyed including archives and hundreds of books in his own office, and what he called "a wonderful collection of pipes."

"But the big consolation is that nobody died and there were no serious injuries," he said, praising Paris police and firefighters for their swift arrival at the the scene.

"We received immediate offers of help...It was very gratifying," Barnavi told Europe 1 radio of offers from national government and Paris City Hall to help the embassy, which will operate temporarily from Barnavi's residency.

Asked in a separate interview with Israel Radio if terrorism was suspected, he said it was too early to rule anything out.

A recent wave of anti-Semitic attacks in France, including a threatening letter containing a bullet sent to Barnavi last month, has raised concern about incidents related to Jewish sites.

"Everything concerning Israel is serious at this time," said Raffarin at the scene. "We came to express our sympathy and concern to the Israeli ambassador and Israeli people at this incident, whose cause we do not know."

"For an embassy, this is a particularly cruel event, for its archives, information and all that concerns the work of the diplomats," he said.

An Elysee official said: "Everything is being done to establish the cause of this fire."

WAVE OF ATTACKS

About 60 people living in adjoining buildings were briefly evacuated and poured out into the dark street in their pyjamas and bathrobes before being allowed home after dawn broke.

The wave of attacks on Jewish buildings and symbols in France in recent months have been linked by officials to the rise in violence in the Middle East. France is home to Europe's largest Jewish and Muslim communities.

Barnavi said last month he had received a letter containing a bullet for a .44-calibre Magnum revolver but that he would not increase his personal security as a result saying he did not believe in "absolute protection."

Police sources said in April they had reports of 10 to 12 anti-Semitic attacks in France daily, from anti-Jewish graffiti to assaults on Jews and their schools, synagogues and shops.

The attacks have prompted criticism from Jewish groups abroad, especially in the United States where some groups have called for a boycott of France and French goods.

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