Overview

• France’s foreign ministry said it will summon US ambassador Charles Kushner on Monday, calling his allegations unacceptable and citing the Vienna Convention’s ban on interference in internal affairs.
• Kushner’s letter, dated August 25 and leaked a day earlier, invoked the 81st anniversary of the Liberation of Paris to frame his warning over a sharp rise in antisemitic incidents.
• The envoy wrote that antisemitism has exploded since Hamas’s October 7, 2023 assault, claiming daily assaults on Jews and frequent vandalism of synagogues, schools, and businesses.
• His criticism echoed recent remarks by Israel’s Benjamin Netanyahu, which the Elysee denounced as abject and erroneous, while the French government firmly refuted the ambassador’s assertions.
• Macron’s plan to seek UN recognition of a Palestinian state in September remains a flashpoint, as France counts a large Jewish population and a sizable Muslim community that both report increased hate crimes.