France’s Foreign Ministry has summoned the US ambassador to the country, Charles Kushner, after he authored a letter accusing the French government of a “lack of sufficient action” in confronting antisemitism.
France strongly rejected the “unacceptable” allegations in Kushner’s letter, which the ministry said “fall short of the quality of the transatlantic relationship” between the US and France.
“The rise in antisemitic acts in France since October 7, 2023, is a reality that we deplore and to which the French authorities are fully committed, given the intolerability of these acts,” the ministry said in a statement.
On Monday, Kushner will be summoned to the ministry’s headquarters in Paris, the statement added.
Asked whether the Trump administration stood by Kushner’s comments, State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott told CNN, “Yes, we stand by his comments. Ambassador Kushner is our U.S. government representative in France and is doing a great job advancing our national interests in that role.” CNN has reached out to the White House for comment.
According to a copy of the letter shared with CNN by the US Embassy, Kushner said that he wrote out of “deep concern” for the situation in France.
“Antisemitism has long scarred French life, but it has exploded since Hamas’s barbaric assault on October 7, 2023,” Kushner, who is Ivanka Trump’s father-in-law, wrote. “Since then, pro-Hamas extremists and radical activists have waged a campaign of intimidation and violence across Europe.”
The letter, dated for Monday, August 25, was issued to French President Emmanuel Macron.
Kushner, who was confirmed to his post in May, urged Macron to enforce hate crime laws “without exception” and to take more efforts to ensure the safety of the Jewish community.
“In France, not a day passes without Jews assaulted in the street, synagogues or schools defaced, or Jewish-owned businesses vandalized,” he said.
“Public statements haranguing Israel and gestures toward recognition of a Palestinian state embolden extremists, fuel violence, and endanger Jewish life in France,” Kushner wrote in response to France and several other Western nations announcing plans to recognize a state of Palestine in September.
He also advised the French president to “abandon steps that give legitimacy to Hamas and its allies,” while pointing to US President Donald Trump’s measures in the US.
“President Trump and I have Jewish children and share Jewish grandchildren. I know how he feels about antisemitism, as do all Americans,” he said in the letter, referring to several Trump administration moves, including enforcing “civil rights protections for Jewish students on university campuses,” and overseeing “the deportation of Hamas sympathizers.”
Recognizing Palestinian statehood
Last week, Israel launched a series of diplomatic attacks against several of its Western allies as they prepare to recognize a Palestinian state in September.
This included a strongly worded letter from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Macron, accusing France of making a decision that “rewards Hamas terror.”
“Your call for a Palestinian state pours fuel on this antisemitic fire,” Netanyahu wrote in a letter obtained by CNN.
France says the move is intended to revive the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and bring peace to the region, but Israel and the US have slammed the initiative, calling it a reward for Hamas terror that will only set back efforts for peace.
Macron has said that France’s plans to recognize a Palestinian state align with its “historic commitment to a just and lasting peace in the Middle East.”
Australia and France are two of the latest Western nations to announce plans to recognize a state of Palestine. Canada and Portugal have also announced similar intentions. Next month, they will join more than 140 other countries that already recognize Palestinian statehood.
The United Kingdom has conditionally said it will recognize a Palestinian state if Israel does not meet criteria that includes agreeing to a ceasefire in Gaza.
CNN’s Betsy Klein contributed to this report.
This story has been updated with additional information.
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