France has summoned Donald Trump’s ambassador Charles Kushner after he wrote a letter to French president Emmanuel Macron, claiming that the country had failed to tackle a surge in antisemitic violence.
Mr Kushner, who is Jewish and whose son is married to Mr Trump’s daughter Ivanka, published the open letter in the Wall Street Journal amid deep divides between France and the U.S. and Israel.
Mr Kushner claimed there had been an explosion of hatred towards Jews in France since Israel’s offensive in Gaza began in October 2023. “Public statements haranguing Israel and gestures toward recognition of a Palestinian state embolden extremists, fuel violence, and endanger Jewish life in France. In today’s world, anti-Zionism is antisemitism – plain and simple,” Mr Kushner wrote.
“In France, not a day passes without Jews assaulted in the street, synagogues or schools defaced, or Jewish-owned businesses vandalized. Your own Interior Ministry has reported antisemitic incidents even at preschools,” he said.
Mr Kushner said he was ready to work with the French leader to “forge a serious plan” to curb the issue.
Paris pushed back immediately, arguing that the French government was “fully committed” to fighting antisemitism. “France has learned of the allegations made by the United States ambassador, Mr Charles Kushner, who, in a letter to the President of the Republic, expressed his concern about the rise in antisemitic acts in France and noted the alleged lack of sufficient action by the French authorities to combat them,” the French foreign ministry said in a statement.
“The ambassador’s allegations are unacceptable,” the ministry said, adding Mr Kushner would be due to appear on Monday. Mr Kushner’s allegations violate international law and the obligation not to interfere with the internal affairs of another country, the French ministry said.
“Furthermore, they do not live up to the quality of the transatlantic relationship between France and the United States and the trust that should result between allies,” it added.
Mr Kushner’s letter echoed Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s criticism of France. In a letter earlier this week, Mr Netanyahu accused the French president of contributing to antisemitism by calling for international recognition of a Palestinian state.
Mr Macron has emerged as one of the more forceful critics of Mr Netanyahu’s prosecution of the war in Gaza, particularly with regard to Palestinian civilian casualties, while Mr Trump has steadfastly supported the Israeli leader.
He has publicly criticised antisemitism as antithetical to French values and increased security to protect synagogues and other Jewish centres in response to antisemitic incidents linked to the Gaza conflict.
France is home to the largest Jewish population in Western Europe, with an estimated 500,000 Jews or 1 per cent of the national population.
U.S. State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott on Sunday said it stood by Mr Kushner’s comments, adding: “Ambassador Kushner is our U.S. government representative in France and is doing a great job advancing our national interests in that role.”
Mr Trump at the end of his first term as president pardoned Mr Kushner, who pleaded guilty years earlier to tax evasion and making illegal campaign donations. His son Jared is a former White House senior adviser to the president.
