France has summoned the US ambassador Charles Kushner after he sent a letter criticising the French government for allegedly not doing enough to counter antisemitism.
The American envoy, a real estate tycoon whose son Jared is married to Trump’s daughter Ivanka, made his comments public on Sunday.
In response, France’s foreign ministry described his allegations as “unacceptable” and summoned him to appear at the department on Monday.
In his letter, which was reproduced by the Wall Street Journal, Kushner urged Macron to apply the laws against hate crimes more rigorously and to tone down his criticism of Israel over its war in Gaza.
Kushner claimed that the French government’s statements that it will recognise a Palestinian state have fuelled antisemitic incidents in France.
The US ambassador also said that the measures taken by the French government against the “upsurge” in antisemitism were insufficient, a few days after similar criticism from Israel.
France hit back, saying it is “fully committed” to the fight against antisemitism.
A spokesperson for the French foreign ministry said that Kushner’s remarks “run counter to international law” because diplomats are not supposed to interfere in another country’s internal affairs.
The ambassador’s remarks are “not commensurate with the quality of the transatlantic link between France and the United States and the trust that should result between allies”, the ministry added.
Kushner’s letter follows another sent to the French president by the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in which he accused Macron of “stoking the antisemitic fire” with his intention to recognise Palestine as a state at the UN General Assembly in September.
Among Israel’s traditional allies, Macron has established himself as one of the most vocal critics of Netanyahu’s war in Gaza, particularly with regard to Palestinian civilian victims.
However, the French executive has also come in for criticism from pro-Palestinian activists.
During a performance in Paris on Sunday, the Irish rap group Kneecap, who were recently banned from entering Hungary over accusations of antisemitism, posted a message on stage accusing the French government of “selling and facilitating the arms trade to the Israeli army”.
France has Europe’s largest Jewish community, numbering almost half a million.