France summons U.S. ambassador after he accused Macron of not fighting antisemitism
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Charles Kushner, the U.S. Ambassador to France, at the White House earlier this year. Photo: Mandel Ngan/AFP via Getty Images
France's foreign ministry announced it will summon on Monday the U.S. ambassador to Paris Charles Kushner over an open letter to President Emmanuel Macron claiming the French government isn't doing enough to fight antisemitism in the country.
Why it matters: It is highly unusual for France to summon a U.S. ambassador. Kushner's case is even more remarkable because he is the father of Jared Kushner, President Trump's son-in-law.
- The move is a sign of growing tensions between the U.S. and France over the French position on the war in Gaza and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in general. And a State Department spokesperson issued a Sunday evening statement to Axios backing Kushner's comments.
- Kushner's open letter seems coordinated with a similar letter Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu sent Macron last week, shortly after making it public. Netanyahu also accused Macron of not fighting antisemitism.
- A senior French official told Axios both letters seem to be a way for Israel and the U.S. to push back on France's diplomatic plans to recognize a Palestinian state during the UN General Assembly next month.
- France's action triggered a wave of half a dozen countries, among them key U.S. allies, announcing their intention to recognize a Palestinian state.
Driving the news: "I write out of deep concern over the dramatic rise of antisemitism in France and the lack of sufficient action by your government to confront it...", wrote Kushner, who assumed the U.S. ambassador role a few weeks ago, in the letter that the Wall Street Journal published on Sunday.
- Kushner claimed in his letter that French government statements regarding the recognition of Palestine have led to an increase in antisemitic attacks in France.
- "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," he wrote.
What they're saying: State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott told Axios: "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."
- Representatives for the White House did not immediately respond to Axios' Sunday evening request for comment.
The other side: The French foreign ministry in a statement rejected Kushner's accusations.
- "French authorities are fully mobilized" to fight antisemitism in the country, the statement said.
- "The Ambassador's allegations are unacceptable. They run counter to international law, in particular the obligation not to interfere in the internal affairs of States," it added.
- "They also fall short of the quality of the transatlantic partnership between France and the U.S. and of the trust that must prevail between allies."
Go deeper: U.S. slams France's plan to recognize Palestinian state
Editor's note: This article has been updated with comment from State Department deputy spokesperson Tommy Pigott.
