Overview

• In a six-page letter released Tuesday, Emmanuel Macron rejected Benjamin Netanyahu’s claim that France is failing to combat antisemitism and warned the issue must not be weaponized.
• Macron detailed French measures to protect Jewish citizens and called accusations of inaction an offense to France as a whole.
• He reaffirmed that France plans to recognize a Palestinian state at next month’s United Nations gathering and urged others to follow, arguing a demilitarized state would enhance Israel’s security.
• The dispute widened after U.S. Ambassador to France Charles Kushner published an open letter criticizing France’s efforts, prompting Paris to summon the U.S. embassy’s chargé d’affaires.
• Macron also urged Israel to end the war in Gaza, as Netanyahu maintained that recognition of Palestinian statehood rewards Hamas and fuels antisemitism, a stance he has also applied to the U.K., Canada, and Australia’s conditional pledges.