France has summoned the U.S. ambassador to Paris after the diplomat, Charles Kushner, wrote a letter to French President Emmanuel Macron alleging the country did not do enough to combat antisemitism.
France’s foreign ministry issued a statement Sunday announcing it had summoned Kushner to appear Monday at Quai d’Orsay, the French Ministry for Europe and Foreign Affairs, and that his allegations “are unacceptable.”
“France firmly rejects these allegations,” the statement obtained by CBS News said. “The rise in antisemitic acts in France since October 7, 2023, is a reality we deeply regret and against which the French authorities are fully mobilized, as such acts are intolerable.”
The French ministry also said Kushner’s allegations “run counter to international law,” citing the “obligation not to interfere in the internal affairs of states” in the 1961 Vienna Convention of Diplomatic Relations.
“They also fall short of the quality of the transatlantic partnership between France and the United States and of the trust that must prevail between allies,” the statement said.
The White House and U.S. State Department did not immediately respond to messages seeking comment. The summoning of the ambassador is a formal and public notice of displeasure.
Kushner, a real-estate developer, is the father of President Trump’s son-in-law Jared Kushner.
The contents of the letter were not released.
The dustup follows Macron’s rejection this past week of accusations from Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that France’s intention to recognize a Palestinian state is fueling antisemitism.
France is home to the largest Jewish population in Western Europe, with an estimated 500,000 Jews. That’s approximately 1% of the national population.
The diplomatic discord comes as French-U.S. relations have faced tensions this year amid Trump’s trade war. Under a decree signed by Mr. Trump last month, international goods that were previously exempt from U.S. tariffs — those valued under $800 — will be subject to import duties from Aug. 29.
France will join several postal services around Europe on Monday in suspending the shipment of many packages to the U.S. amid a lack of clarity over new import duties.
The two allies are also split over the future of U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon. France in particular has objected to the U.S. push to wind down the peacekeeping operation known as UNIFIL, with a vote on the issue set for the end of the month by the U.N. Security Council.
France and the U.S. have also been divided on support for Ukraine in its war with Russia, but the split has eased with Mr. Trump expressing support for security guarantees and a warm meeting with Macron and other European leaders at the White House last week.
Mr. Trump at the end of his first term as president pardoned Charles Kushner, who pleaded guilty years earlier to tax evasion and making illegal campaign donations.
His son Jared is a former White House senior adviser to Trump who is married to Trump’s eldest daughter, Ivanka.
contributed to this report.
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