An outraged French foreign ministry has summoned U.S. Ambassador Charles Kushner after he penned an “unacceptable” letter accusing President Emmanuel Macron of “haranguing Israel.”
In a Wall Street Journal op-ed addressed to Macron, Kushner wrote that he was “deeply concerned” at the dramatic rise of antisemitism in France since Hamas’ attack on Israel on October 7, 2023.
Kushner—who is the father of President Donald Trump’s son-in-law, Jared Kushner—added that Macron was endangering Jewish life in France.
“Public statements haranguing Israel and gestures toward recognition of a Palestinian state embolden extremists, fuel violence, and endanger Jewish life in France,” Kushner wrote. “In today’s world, anti-Zionism is antisemitism—plain and simple.”
France fired back later that day in a statement saying that France “strongly denies” the allegations, which are “unacceptable.”
The statement acknowledged a rise in antisemitic acts in France since October 7, 2023, but said that was a “reality we regret and against which the French authorities are fully mobilized, as such acts are intolerable.”
It also accused Kushner—who was convicted in 2014 of 16 counts of tax evasion, lying to the Federal Election Commission and retaliating against a witness, only to be pardoned by Trump in 2020 and then nominated for the French ambassadorship last fall—of violating international law, particularly the duty not to interfere in state’s internal affairs governing the 1961 Vienna Convention.
Kushner’s allegations “fall short of the quality of the transatlantic partnership between France and the United States and the trust that must prevail between allies,” the French government wrote.
“Ambassador Kushner will be summoned to the Quai d’Orsay on Monday,” the statement concluded, using a name often used as shorthand for the Ministère de l’EuropeU.N. et des Affaires Ètrangères.
The Daily Beast has reached out to Kushner, the embassy, and the State Department for comment.
In a statement calling for an end to the war in Gaza, Macron announced in July that France would officially recognize a Palestinian state in September, making it the first G7 nation to do so.
“We need an immediate ceasefire, the release of all hostages, and massive humanitarian aid for the people of Gaza,” the statement said. “We must also ensure the demilitarization of Hamas, secure and rebuild Gaza. And finally, we must build the State of Palestine, guarantee its viability, and ensure that by accepting its demilitarization and fully recognizing Israel, it contributes to the security of all in the region.”
Secretary of State Marco Rubio said the U.S. “strongly rejected” Macron’s plan to recognize a Palestinian state. Throughout the summer, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has snubbed Trump’s pleas for a ceasefire deal, intensifying his bombing campaign against the occupied Palestinian territory.
The United Nations has declared a famine in Gaza, where more than 640,000 people are facing “catastrophic” levels of food insecurity thanks to Israel’s refusal to allow aid across the border, the U.N.’s emergency relief coordinator said Friday.
Health officials in Gaza say that more than 62,000 people have been killed since October 2023, when Israel began retaliating against the October 7 Hamas-led attacks in which about 1,200 Israelis were killed and 250 people were taken hostage.
More than 80 percent of the casualties in Gaza have been civilians, according to Israeli military data, The Guardian reported last week.
The humanitarian crisis has driven a wedge between Trump’s supporters, with some MAGA lawmakers calling for an end to the suffering and others saying Gaza can “starve away” until the remaining 50 hostages—about 20 of whom are believed to be alive—are released.
In his open letter, Kushner wrote that he and Trump both have Jewish children and share Jewish grandchildren, and praised the president for cracking down on pro-Palestinian campus protesters, revoking visas for “foreign agitators,” and “crippling” Iran’s nuclear-weapons program.
“These measures prove that antisemitism can be fought effectively when leaders have the will to act,” the letter said.
In a statement to The Hill, the State Department said it stood by Kushner’s comments despite France’s rebuke.
“Ambassador Kushner is our U.S. government representative in France and is doing a great job advancing our national interests in that role,” spokesperson Tommy Pigott said.
The post France Summons Jared Kushner’s Dad Over ‘Unacceptable’ Letter appeared first on The Daily Beast.
