LONDON — France has summoned the American ambassador to Paris after he wrote a letter to President Emmanuel Macron alleging that the country had not taken “sufficient action” to combat antisemitism.
France’s foreign ministry said in a statement Sunday that it had summoned Charles Kushner to appear Monday over his criticism, which it said was “unacceptable.”
It said that “France firmly rejects these allegations” and that French authorities have “fully mobilized” to combat the “intolerable” rise in antisemitic acts over the past two years.
The French ministry said that Kushner’s allegations violated international law and the obligation not to interfere with the internal affairs of another country. “They also fall short of the quality of the transatlantic partnership between France and the United States and of the trust that must prevail between allies,” it said.
The episode is the latest sign of a growing divide between the United States and its longtime partners in Europe. It comes as Washington’s close ally, Israel, increasingly clashes with Western countries amid fallout from its military assault on Gaza.
“Antisemitism has long scarred French life, but it has exploded since Hamas’s barbaric assault on Oct. 7, 2023,” Kushner wrote in an open letter in the Wall Street Journal on Sunday.
“Public statements haranguing Israel and gestures toward recognition of a Palestinian state embolden extremists, fuel violence, and endanger Jewish life in France,” added Kushner, who is Jewish.
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said Sunday evening that it stood by Kushner’s comments, according to the Associated Press news agency. “Ambassador Kushner is our U.S. government representative in France and is doing a great job advancing our national interests in that role,” he said.
France said last month that it plans to recognize a Palestinian state in September, while other traditional allies of Israel such as Australia and Canada have said they will do the same.
Last week, Macron denounced Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s accusations that this move was fueling antisemitism, calling the suggestion “abject” and “erroneous.”
France is home to the largest Jewish population in Europe, with an estimated 500,000 Jews, the third-largest Jewish population in the world after Israel and the United States. That’s approximately 1% of the national population.
In his letter, Kushner goes on to say that French Jews are living in fear and that Macron should act decisively in protecting them, adding that he stands ready to work with French leaders across the country to “forge a serious plan that addresses the roots of antisemitism and defeats it.”
“Today, many French Jews fear that history will repeat itself in Europe,” he wrote.
“Mr. President, I urge you to act decisively: enforce hate-crime laws without exception; ensure the safety of Jewish schools, synagogues and businesses, prosecute offenders to the fullest extent; and abandon steps that give legitimacy to Hamas and its allies.”
Kushner, a real estate developer, is the father of President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner. He said during his confirmation hearing in May this year that he was “dedicated to building an even stronger relationship” between the U.S. and France.
During Trump’s first term in the Oval Office, he pardoned Kushner, who pleaded guilty years earlier to tax evasion and making illegal campaign donations.
