France summons US ambassador Kushner over 'unacceptable' letter about rising antisemitism

WASHINGTON: 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 on Sunday (Aug 24) 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 US 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 Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that France's intention to recognise 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 per cent of the national population.

The diplomatic discord comes as French-US relations have faced tensions this year amid Trump's trade war and a split over the future of UN peacekeepers in Lebanon. France in particular has objected to the US 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 UN Security Council.

France and the US have also been divided on support for Ukraine in its war with Russia, but the split has eased with 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.