Diplomatic relations between France and the United States have been plunged into a new crisis after the French government summoned the US ambassador to Paris, Charles Kushner, for clarification. The move came after the publication of an open letter from Kushner to President Emmanuel Macron accusing French authorities of not doing enough to curb violence and hate crimes against the country's Jewish community.
The letter, published in the Wall Street Journal, has sparked immediate backlash. In it, Ambassador Kushner – who is Jewish and the father of Jared Kushner, the husband of Ivanka Trump, the daughter of US President Donald Trump – writes that anti-Semitism in France has increased significantly since Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
"Every day in France, Jews are attacked on the streets; schools and synagogues are violated, while their businesses are vandalized," Kushner stressed in his letter, calling on President Macron to enforce laws against hate crimes more strictly and ban public statements that, according to him, fuel anti-Semitism.
The ambassador also criticized Paris's stance on recognizing a Palestinian state, considering it a step that "embrace[s] extremists, fuels violence and endangers the lives of Jews in France."
France's reaction
The French Foreign Ministry reacted immediately, calling the US ambassador's accusations "unacceptable." Through an official statement, Paris stressed that Ambassador Kushner has been summoned to provide explanations for his comments.
"France firmly rejects these allegations. Ambassadors are not allowed to intervene in the internal affairs of the host country, as stipulated by the 1961 Vienna Convention," the French Foreign Ministry said.
A broader international debate
Ambassador Kushner's letter comes a few days after a similar communication from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who accused President Macron of contributing to the rise of anti-Semitism by supporting the recognition of Palestine.
France, which has the largest Jewish community in Western Europe – around half a million citizens – as well as a sizeable Muslim community, has reported a noticeable increase in hate incidents since the outbreak of the war between Israel and Hamas.
President Emmanuel Macron has publicly condemned anti-Semitism, but at the same time has made it clear that France will officially recognize the Palestinian state during the UN General Assembly in September, joining over 147 countries that have already taken or announced this step.
This situation has increased diplomatic tensions between Paris and Washington, testing the delicate balance that France maintains between protecting its Jewish community and its historical stance in favor of a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
