France summons US ambassador over letter criticizing Macron

France has summoned the American ambassador, Charles Kushner, after he accused Paris of failing to adequately tackle anti-Semitic incidents, the French Foreign Ministry confirmed on Sunday.

In a letter addressed directly to President Emmanuel Macron, Kushner voiced alarm over what he described as a surge in anti-Semitic acts across the country, while suggesting that French authorities had not taken sufficient measures to address the problem.

Read more: US ambassador to France criticizes Macron over rising anti-Semitism

The French Foreign Ministry sharply rejected his assertions. "France has learned of the allegations made by the United States Ambassador, Mr. Charles Kushner, who, in a letter to the President of the Republic, expressed his concern about the rise in anti-Semitic acts in France and noted the alleged lack of sufficient action by the French authorities to combat them," a spokesperson said.

The ministry stressed that such remarks were out of line, adding, "The Ambassador's allegations are unacceptable."

Kushner wrote to President Macron to express concern over what he described as insufficient government action against anti-Semitism, following similar criticism from 'Israeli' Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.

Dated August 25, the 81st anniversary of the Allied liberation of Paris, which ended the deportation of Jews from French soil, Kushner’s letter highlighted a sharp increase in anti-Semitic attacks across the country.

“I write out of deep concern over the dramatic rise of anti-Semitism in France and the lack of sufficient action by your government to confront it,” Kushner wrote in the letter, a copy of which was obtained by Agence France-Presse (AFP).

He added, “In France, not a day passes without Jews assaulted in the street, synagogues or schools defaced, or Jewish-owned businesses vandalized.”

Earlier this week, Netanyahu accused Macron of contributing to a surge in anti-Semitism following the French president’s announcement last month that he would recognise a Palestinian state. The French presidency dismissed the claim as “abject” and “erroneous,” adding, “This is a time for seriousness and responsibility, not for conflation and manipulation.”