US, France in antisemitism row

A diplomatic row between the United States and France escalated on Monday when Washington decided to stand firmly behind its ambassador's criticism of the French response to a rising tide of antisemitism.

US ambassador Charles Kushner, the father of US President Donald Trump's son-in-law, was ordered to report to the French foreign ministry on Monday. It was not immediately clear whether the meeting had taken place, but the tensions will linger.

The row erupted amid concerns about an increase in antisemitic acts and hate crimes in France as international tensions mount over the conflict in Gaza. Kushner, in a public letter to French President Emmanuel Macron, has accused France of a "lack of sufficient action".

France retorted that "the allegations from the ambassador are unacceptable" and the rift deepened on Monday when Kushner was summoned to the ministry and the Trump administration doubled down on his critique.

"We stand by his comments," State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said. "Ambassador Kushner is our US government representative in France and is doing a great job advancing our national interests in that role."

In July, Macron said France would formally recognise a Palestinian state during a UN meeting in September, sparking irritation in Israel and the United States.

In a letter to Macron that was released to the news media at the weekend, Kushner alleged that such gestures "embolden extremists, fuel violence, and endanger Jewish life in France".

"President Trump and I have Jewish children and share Jewish grandchildren. I know how he feels about antisemitism, as do all Americans," he wrote.

Kushner, whose son Jared is married to Trump's daughter Ivanka, was confirmed as France's ambassador by the Senate in May.

France condemned the ambassador's letter, but noted: "The rise in anti-Semitic acts in France since 7 October 2023 is a reality that we deplore and to which the French authorities are responding with total commitment, as these acts are completely unacceptable."

Members of France's Jewish community have said the number of antisemitic acts has surged following the attack by Hamas on Israel on October 7, 2023 which triggered Israel's military response.

Last week, a group of 150 young Israeli tourists was refused entry to a leisure park in the south of France.