By: Chaya Abecassis

France announced on Sunday that it would summon US Ambassador Charles Kushner after the envoy penned a sharply worded letter to President Emmanuel Macron accusing his government of failing to combat antisemitism effectively. The move, which comes just days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu leveled similar charges against the French president, has widened a diplomatic rift between Paris, Washington, and Jerusalem. According toa report that appeared on Sunday at Al Arabiya, the French foreign ministry condemned Kushner’s remarks as “unacceptable” and a breach of international diplomatic norms, particularly the duty of non-interference in domestic affairs.

This clash calls attention to the increasingly volatile intersection of French domestic politics, the Israel–Hamas war, and international debates over Palestinian statehood. It also highlights France’s unique position as both home to Western Europe’s largest Jewish community and a significant Muslim population deeply attuned to events in Gaza.

Ambassador Charles Kushner’s letter, dated August 25—the 81st anniversary of the Liberation of Paris from Nazi occupation—was a forceful indictment of what he described as France’s inadequate response to a surge of antisemitism.

“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,” Kushner declared in the letter, excerpts of which were reported by Al Arabiya. He emphasized that “in France, not a day passes without Jews assaulted in the street, synagogues or schools defaced, or Jewish-owned businesses vandalized.”

Kushner drew a direct line between this climate of hostility and the October 7, 2023 Hamas massacre in Israel, arguing that hatred of Jews “has exploded” since that day. The ambassador also invoked Holocaust memory, noting the disturbing fact that nearly half of French youth reportedly have no knowledge of the genocide. “What are children being taught in French schools if such ignorance persists?” he asked.

In the letter, Kushner denounced President Macron’s recognition of Palestinian statehood and his criticisms of Israel’s Gaza campaign, warning that such policies “embolden extremists, fuel violence, and endanger Jewish life in France.” For Kushner, the conclusion was stark: “In today’s world, anti-Zionism is antisemitism – plain and simple.”

The French foreign ministry’s reaction was swift and uncompromising. According to the information provided in the Al Arabiya report, officials labeled Kushner’s allegations “unacceptable” and flatly rejected his portrayal of French policy. “France firmly refutes these latest allegations,” the ministry said, stressing that the government was “fully committed” to combating antisemitism.

Paris went further, accusing Kushner of overstepping his role as a diplomat. His remarks, the ministry stated, contravened international law by violating the principle of non-interference in the internal affairs of sovereign states. “Furthermore,” it added, “they do not live up to the quality of the transatlantic relationship between France and the United States and the trust that should result between allies.”

The ambassador’s critique came just days after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused President Macron of “fomenting antisemitism” in France following his announcement that Paris would recognize Palestinian statehood. As reported by Al Arabiya, Netanyahu’s remarks drew a blistering response from the Élysée Palace, which branded his allegations “abject” and “erroneous.”

The alignment of Netanyahu’s rhetoric with Kushner’s letter has created the perception of a coordinated campaign by Israel and the United States to pressure France into reversing its recognition policy. Macron, however, has remained defiant, insisting that recognizing Palestine is consistent with France’s long-standing diplomatic vision for a two-state solution.

The tension surrounding this dispute reflects France’s delicate social balance. As the Al Arabiya report highlighted, France is home to Western Europe’s largest Jewish population, numbering approximately half a million, as well as a large Muslim community sympathetic to the Palestinian cause. Both communities have reported a surge in hate crimes since Israel launched its retaliatory offensive in Gaza nearly two years ago.

This dual reality places extraordinary pressure on Macron’s government, which must simultaneously reassure Jewish citizens that their safety is paramount while addressing Muslim concerns about the humanitarian toll of the Gaza war.

Kushner’s pointed assertion that Jews are living under daily threat in France cuts to the heart of this dilemma, raising questions about whether France is doing enough to protect its Jewish citizens amid escalating polarization.

At the center of the dispute is Macron’s decision to recognize a Palestinian state during the upcoming UN General Assembly session in September. According to the information contained in the Al Arabiya report, this decision aligns France with at least 145 of the 193 UN member states that now recognize or intend to recognize Palestine.

For Macron, recognition is a diplomatic tool aimed at reviving prospects for peace. But for Netanyahu and Kushner, it represents a dangerous concession that rewards Hamas and emboldens antisemitic movements worldwide. “Such moves embolden extremists, fuel violence, and endanger Jewish life in France,” Kushner warned in his letter.

Israel and its allies fear that France’s recognition could trigger a domino effect among Western powers, granting the Palestinians a legitimacy that circumvents direct negotiations with Israel.

The heart of Kushner’s argument, echoed by Netanyahu, lies in the assertion that anti-Zionism is indistinguishable from antisemitism. This framing challenges France’s political culture, where criticism of Israel is often presented as distinct from antisemitic hostility. By collapsing the distinction, Kushner and Netanyahu accuse France of failing to grasp the true danger posed by extremist narratives that demonize both Jews and the Jewish state.

According to the Al Arabiya report, Kushner warned that Macron’s recognition of Palestinian statehood feeds into these narratives, creating fertile ground for antisemitism in French society. The implication is clear: what happens in Gaza does not stay in Gaza—it reverberates into Paris, Lyon, and Marseille, endangering Jewish citizens far from the battlefield.

The choice of date for Kushner’s letter was no accident. By writing on the anniversary of the Liberation of Paris in 1944, Kushner sought to remind Macron of France’s wartime complicity in the deportation of Jews under Nazi occupation. This historical allusion served to amplify his warning that antisemitism must never again be permitted to metastasize unchecked in Europe.

As the Al Arabiya report noted, this invocation of history added a layer of moral urgency to Kushner’s critique, transforming it from a mere diplomatic dispute into a clash over memory, responsibility, and national identity.

Beyond the immediate quarrel, the episode reveals strains in the transatlantic relationship. France’s decision to summon Kushner underscores the seriousness with which it views the breach of protocol. For Washington, the incident may complicate broader coordination with Paris on global issues ranging from NATO to Middle Eastern diplomacy.

As the Al Arabiya report observed, Kushner’s remarks were judged by Paris as not only offensive but also damaging to the “trust that should result between allies.” With both Israel and the United States now openly pressuring France, Macron faces the challenge of defending national sovereignty without alienating critical partners.

The controversy surrounding Charles Kushner’s letter to Emmanuel Macron encapsulates the deep fissures running through international politics in the shadow of the Gaza war. France, Israel, and the United States now find themselves entangled in a dispute that is at once about antisemitism, Palestinian statehood, and the boundaries of diplomatic decorum.

As Al Arabiya has reported, France insists it remains steadfast in combating antisemitism while pursuing recognition of Palestine as a matter of diplomatic principle. Yet to Israel and its allies, these positions are irreconcilable: by recognizing Palestine, they argue, Macron is emboldening the very forces that make French Jews unsafe.