France summons US Ambassador Kushner over 'unacceptable' letter about rising antisemitism
Kushner, a real-estate developer, is the father of President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
(AND IS A TRUMP PARDONED EX FELON)
MICHELLE L. PRICE
Sun 24 August 2025
AP
Charles Kushner arrives for the funeral of Ivana Trump,
July 20, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/John Minchillo, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) — France has summoned the American ambassador to Paris after the diplomat, Charles Kushner, wrote a letter to French President Emmanuel Macron alleging the country did not do enough to combat antisemitism.
France's foreign ministry issued a statement Sunday announcing it had summoned Kushner to appear Monday at the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and that his allegations “are unacceptable.”
The White House and U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. The summoning of the ambassador is a formal and public notice of displeasure.
Kushner, a real-estate developer, is the father of President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
The French foreign ministry, in its statement, said “France firmly rejects these allegations” from Kushner and that French authorities have “fully mobilized” to combat a rise in antisemitic acts since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel, deeming the acts “intolerable.”
The contents of the letter were not released.
Kushner’s allegations violate international law and the obligation not to interfere with the internal affairs of another country, the French ministry said, and, “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.”
The dustup follows Macron's rejection this past week of accusations from Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that France's intention to recognize a Palestinian state is fueling antisemitism.
France is home to the largest Jewish population in Western Europe, with an estimated 500,000 Jews. That’s approximately 1% of the national population.
The diplomatic discord comes as French-U.S. relations have faced tensions this year amid Trump's trade war and a split over the future of U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon. France in particular has objected to the U.S. push to wind down the peacekeeping operation known as UNIFIL, with a vote on the issue set for the end of the month by the U.N. Security Council.
France and the U.S. have also been divided on support for Ukraine in its war with Russia, but the split has eased with Donald Trump expressing support for security guarantees and a warm meeting with Macron and other European leaders at the White House last week.
Trump at the end of his first term as president pardoned Charles 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 Trump who is married to Trump’s eldest daughter, Ivanka
US envoy criticises France's lack of action over antisemitism
WASHINGTON (AP) — France has summoned the American ambassador to Paris after the diplomat, Charles Kushner, wrote a letter to French President Emmanuel Macron alleging the country did not do enough to combat antisemitism.
France's foreign ministry issued a statement Sunday announcing it had summoned Kushner to appear Monday at the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs and that his allegations “are unacceptable.”
The White House and U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. The summoning of the ambassador is a formal and public notice of displeasure.
Kushner, a real-estate developer, is the father of President Donald Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
The French foreign ministry, in its statement, said “France firmly rejects these allegations” from Kushner and that French authorities have “fully mobilized” to combat a rise in antisemitic acts since the Oct. 7, 2023 attack by Hamas on Israel, deeming the acts “intolerable.”
The contents of the letter were not released.
Kushner’s allegations violate international law and the obligation not to interfere with the internal affairs of another country, the French ministry said, and, “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.”
The dustup follows Macron's rejection this past week of accusations from Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that France's intention to recognize a Palestinian state is fueling antisemitism.
France is home to the largest Jewish population in Western Europe, with an estimated 500,000 Jews. That’s approximately 1% of the national population.
The diplomatic discord comes as French-U.S. relations have faced tensions this year amid Trump's trade war and a split over the future of U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon. France in particular has objected to the U.S. push to wind down the peacekeeping operation known as UNIFIL, with a vote on the issue set for the end of the month by the U.N. Security Council.
France and the U.S. have also been divided on support for Ukraine in its war with Russia, but the split has eased with Donald Trump expressing support for security guarantees and a warm meeting with Macron and other European leaders at the White House last week.
Trump at the end of his first term as president pardoned Charles 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 Trump who is married to Trump’s eldest daughter, Ivanka
US envoy criticises France's lack of action over antisemitism
AFP
Sun 24 August 2025
'In today's world, anti-Zionism is antisemitism -- plain and simple,'
Sun 24 August 2025
'In today's world, anti-Zionism is antisemitism -- plain and simple,'
wrote Kushner (Ludovic MARIN)Ludovic MARIN/AFP/AFP
The US ambassador to Paris has upped the pressure on President Emmanuel Macron over antisemitism in France with a letter calling the government's action on anti-Jewish hatred insufficient, days after similar criticism from Israel.
US envoy Charles Kushner's letter to Macron was dated August 25, which he noted was "the 81st anniversary of the Allied Liberation of Paris, which ended the deportation of Jews from French soil" under Nazi German occupation.
In the letter, a copy of which has been obtained by AFP, he wrote: "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...
"In France, not a day passes without Jews assaulted in the street, synagogues or schools defaced, or Jewish-owned businesses vandalized," he added.
While "antisemitism has long scarred French life", the ambassador argued that hatred of Jews "has exploded since Hamas's barbaric assault on October 7, 2023," which triggered the ongoing war in Gaza.
His remarks tally with those made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who on Tuesday accused Macron of fomenting antisemitism, saying it had "surged" in France following the French president's announcement last month that he will recognise Palestinian statehood.
Macron's Elysee office was quick to hit back at Netanyahu, calling the Israeli leader's allegation "abject" and "erroneous".
- 'Anti-Zionism is antisemitism' -
But like Netanyahu, Kushner denounced Macron's criticisms of Israel over the war in Gaza and his planned recognition of a State of Palestine. Such moves, he said, "embolden extremists, fuel violence, and endanger Jewish life in France".
"In today's world, anti-Zionism is antisemitism -- plain and simple," the ambassador added.
"Surveys show most French citizens believe another Holocaust could happen in Europe. Nearly half of French youth report never having heard of the Holocaust at all.
"What are children being taught in French schools if such ignorance persists?," the letter read.
France is home to Western Europe's largest Jewish population at around half a million people, as well as a significant Muslim community sensitive to the plight of the Palestinian people in Gaza.
Both communities have reported a spike in hate crimes since Israel's retaliatory offensive against the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the besieged coastal strip.
Macron's announcement that France would formally recognise a Palestinian state during a UN meeting in September drew a swift rebuke from Israel at the time.
With the move, France is set to join a list of nations that has grown since the start of the Gaza war nearly two years ago.
France is among at least 145 of the 193 UN members that now recognise or plan to recognise a Palestinian state, according to an AFP tally.
The US ambassador to Paris has upped the pressure on President Emmanuel Macron over antisemitism in France with a letter calling the government's action on anti-Jewish hatred insufficient, days after similar criticism from Israel.
US envoy Charles Kushner's letter to Macron was dated August 25, which he noted was "the 81st anniversary of the Allied Liberation of Paris, which ended the deportation of Jews from French soil" under Nazi German occupation.
In the letter, a copy of which has been obtained by AFP, he wrote: "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...
"In France, not a day passes without Jews assaulted in the street, synagogues or schools defaced, or Jewish-owned businesses vandalized," he added.
While "antisemitism has long scarred French life", the ambassador argued that hatred of Jews "has exploded since Hamas's barbaric assault on October 7, 2023," which triggered the ongoing war in Gaza.
His remarks tally with those made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who on Tuesday accused Macron of fomenting antisemitism, saying it had "surged" in France following the French president's announcement last month that he will recognise Palestinian statehood.
Macron's Elysee office was quick to hit back at Netanyahu, calling the Israeli leader's allegation "abject" and "erroneous".
- 'Anti-Zionism is antisemitism' -
But like Netanyahu, Kushner denounced Macron's criticisms of Israel over the war in Gaza and his planned recognition of a State of Palestine. Such moves, he said, "embolden extremists, fuel violence, and endanger Jewish life in France".
"In today's world, anti-Zionism is antisemitism -- plain and simple," the ambassador added.
"Surveys show most French citizens believe another Holocaust could happen in Europe. Nearly half of French youth report never having heard of the Holocaust at all.
"What are children being taught in French schools if such ignorance persists?," the letter read.
France is home to Western Europe's largest Jewish population at around half a million people, as well as a significant Muslim community sensitive to the plight of the Palestinian people in Gaza.
Both communities have reported a spike in hate crimes since Israel's retaliatory offensive against the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the besieged coastal strip.
Macron's announcement that France would formally recognise a Palestinian state during a UN meeting in September drew a swift rebuke from Israel at the time.
With the move, France is set to join a list of nations that has grown since the start of the Gaza war nearly two years ago.
France is among at least 145 of the 193 UN members that now recognise or plan to recognise a Palestinian state, according to an AFP tally.
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