US doubles down on assist for envoy to France after antisemitism row

[ad_1] PARIS, France — A diplomatic row between the USA and France escalated on Monday when Washington determined to face firmly behind its ambassador’s criticism of the French response to a rising tide of antisemitism.

US Ambassador Charles Kushner, the daddy of US President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, was ordered to report back to the French overseas ministry on Monday over a letter he penned to President Emmanuel Macron , accusing his authorities of not doing sufficient to fight antisemitism.

It was not instantly clear whether or not the assembly had taken place, however the summoning nonetheless sparked backlash from the US and Israel.

“We stand by his feedback,” State Division spokesman Tommy Pigott mentioned. “Ambassador Kushner is our US authorities consultant in France and is doing a fantastic job advancing our nationwide pursuits in that function.”

The controversy erupted amid considerations about a rise in antisemitic acts and hate crimes in France, as worldwide tensions mount over Israel’s warfare towards Hamas in Gaza. Kushner, in his letter to Macron, accused France of a “lack of ample motion.”

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By signing up, you conform to the terms France retorted that “the allegations from the ambassador are unacceptable.” The rift deepened on Monday when Kushner was summoned to the ministry and the Trump administration doubled down on his critique.

Overseas Minister Gideon Sa’ar additionally criticized France’s resolution to summon Kushner, calling the transfer the “top of hypocrisy.”

Responding to a publish from the French embassy in Israel asserting the choice, Sa’ar wrote on X: “As a substitute of addressing the difficulty of the rising antisemitism in France in a substantive method — France preaches towards ‘interference within the inside affairs of states.’ The peak of hypocrisy!”

Overseas Minister Gideon Sa’ar speaks on the Muni Expo 2025 convention in Tel Aviv, on July 15, 2025. (Avshalom Sassoni/Flash90)

Macron got here beneath fireplace from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu final week, during which the premier issued a written ultimatum to the president demanding he take a firmer stance towards antisemitism in France by Rosh Hashanah in late September. Netanyahu additionally condemned Macron for asserting his authorities would acknowledge a Palestinian state that month, saying the transfer “pours gas on this antisemitic fireplace.”

In July, Macron mentioned France would formally acknowledge a Palestinian state through the upcoming United Nations Basic Meeting in September, sparking anger from Israel and the US.

In a letter to Macron that was launched to the information media over the weekend, Kushner equally alleged that such gestures “embolden extremists, gas violence and endanger Jewish life in France.”

“President Trump and I've Jewish youngsters and share Jewish grandchildren. I understand how he feels about antisemitism, as do all Individuals,” he wrote. Kushner, whose son Jared is married to Trump’s daughter Ivanka, was confirmed as France’s ambassador by the Senate in Might.

France condemned the ambassador’s letter, however famous: “The rise in antisemitic acts in France since 7 October 2023 is a actuality that we deplore and to which the French authorities are responding with whole dedication, as these acts are fully unacceptable.”

Antisemitism reaching ‘insupportable ranges’ Members of France’s Jewish group have mentioned the variety of antisemitic acts surged following Hamas’s brutal assault on Israel’s south on October 7, 2023, which killed some 1,200 folks, largely civilians, triggering Israel’s army response.

Final week, a bunch of 150 younger Israeli vacationers was refused entry to a leisure park within the south of France. Prosecutors mentioned that they had positioned the supervisor of the park beneath investigation on suspicion of discrimination based mostly on ethnic origin or nationality.

In one other incident this month, an olive tree planted in reminiscence of Ilan Halimi, a younger Jewish man tortured to dying in 2006, was felled outside Paris, stirring outrage in France and prompting condemnation from its politicians.

The trunk of the olive tree, presumably lower down with a chainsaw, which was planted in 2011 in entrance of a memorial to Ilan Halimi, in Epinay-sur-Seine, on the outskirts of Paris, August 15, 2025. (Dimitar DILKOFF/ AFP)

Macron vowed punishment over the act of “antisemitic hatred,” whereas Prime Minister François Bayrou mentioned that “the endless battle towards the lethal poison of hatred is our main responsibility.”

Between January and June 2025, 646 antisemitic acts have been recorded in France, in comparison with 891 acts in the identical interval final 12 months, in line with figures launched by the inside ministry on Monday. Nevertheless, the 2025 determine is greater than double the 304 acts recorded between January and June 2023.

France is dwelling to Western Europe’s largest Jewish inhabitants at round half one million folks, in addition to a major Muslim group.

On Monday, French Equality Minister Aurore Berge defended the federal government’s actions concerning antisemitism.

“The French authorities’s battle towards antisemitism is unambiguous,” Berge advised broadcaster Europe 1-CNews. “The difficulty is simply too critical. In my view, it's too necessary for use as a diplomatic bargaining chip.”

France’s Delegate Minister for Gender Equality and Struggle towards Discriminations Aurore Berge takes half in a posthumous award ceremony of the ‘Righteous Among the many Nations Medal and Diploma,’ the best distinction created and issued by the State of Israel, for Jeanne and Jean Philippeau in Vendome, France on June 16, 2025. (Jean-Francois Monier/AFP)

She additionally acknowledged the rise in antisemitic incidents within the West, saying she believes it has “reached ranges which are completely insupportable.”

Patrick Klugman, a lawyer for a number of French victims of the October 7 assaults, mentioned antisemitism in France had reached historic ranges, however defended the French authorities.

“Over the previous six years, no antisemitic homicide has been dedicated in France, whereas sadly a number of have occurred in the USA. The distinction is putting,” he mentioned on X. “No nation is able to lecture others, and all should revise their strategy.”

Instances of Israel employees contributed to this report.

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