Overview

• U.S. Ambassador Charles Kushner sent a letter to Emmanuel Macron alleging an absence of sufficient action against a post‑2023 surge in antisemitic acts and declaring that antizionism is antisemitism.
• The French foreign ministry deemed the accusations unacceptable, invoked the Vienna Convention, and summoned the ambassador, though Kushner did not attend and his chargé d’affaires was received.
• French officials told the U.S. mission the remarks constituted interference and misrepresented the situation, according to diplomatic sources.
• The U.S. State Department publicly backed Kushner’s statements and work in France, with a deputy spokesperson calling his role in advancing U.S. interests remarkable.
• Interior Ministry data cited in coverage show 646 antisemitic incidents in January–June 2025, down from 2024 but more than double the same period in 2023, as the dispute unfolds ahead of France’s planned UN recognition of a Palestinian state in September.