France has summoned U.S. ambassador Charles Kushner over an open letter that he wrote to French President Emmanuel Macron, accusing his government of inadequate efforts to tackle anti-Semitism in the country.
Kushner—who is Jewish and the father-in-law of Ivanka Trump, daughter of President Donald Trump—stated that since the Hamas terrorist group carried out its Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and the Israeli army launched its ground offensive against Hamas in Gaza, “pro-Hamas extremists and radical activists have waged a campaign of intimidation and violence across Europe.”
The ambassador urged Macron to strictly enforce hate-crime laws, prosecute anti-Semitic offenders to “the fullest extent,” and refrain from granting any legitimacy to Hamas and its allies.
Kushner also warned that Macron’s plan to officially recognize Palestinian statehood would “embolden extremists, fuel violence, and endanger Jewish life” in France.
“The rise in anti-Semitic acts in France since October 7, 2023, is a reality that we deplore and against which the French authorities are demonstrating total mobilization, as these acts are intolerable,” it stated.
The ministry said that Kushner’s remarks violate international law and the obligation under the 1961 Vienna Convention, which prohibits interference in the internal affairs of a country.
“They also fall short of the quality of the transatlantic relationship between France and the United States and the trust that should result from it between allies,” it added.
State Department spokesperson Tommy Pigott said the department stood by Kushner’s comments and lauded him for “doing a great job advancing our national interests” in his role as ambassador.
France has the largest Jewish population in Western Europe, with an estimated 500,000 Jews.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposed the move, saying that such recognition would “reward terror” and risk the creation of what he described as “another Iranian proxy.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. government strongly rejected Macron’s decision, describing it as reckless and “a slap in the face to the victims” of Hamas’s attack on Israel.
The war in Gaza broke out after Hamas-led terrorists launched a large-scale attack on southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023, killing about 1,200 civilians and taking about 250 captives back to Gaza.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
