The French Foreign Ministry summoned the U.S. ambassador in response to his letter published in The Wall Street Journal

U.S. Ambassador to France Charles Kushner on Sunday criticized the “dramatic rise of antisemitism in France” and Paris’ failure to address the threat in an open letter to French President Emmanuel Macron.

In the letter, published in the The Wall Street Journal, raised concerns that in France, “not a day passes without Jews assaulted in the street, synagogues or schools defaced, or Jewish-owned businesses vandalized,” citing statistics shared by the country’s Interior Ministry regarding the rise in antisemitism incidents.

Kushner, who arrived in his posting last month and his the father of Jared Kushner, President Trump’s son-in-law, called on President Macron to “enforce hate-crime laws without exception, ensure the safety of Jewish schools, synagogues and businesses, prosecute offenders to the fullest extent; and abandon steps that give legitimacy to Hamas and its allies.”

In a response, the French foreign ministry has summoned Kushner, issuing a statement calling his comments “unacceptable.” The statement further accused Kushner of violating international law by allegedly interfering in domestic affairs and not meeting the “quality of the transatlantic link between France and the United States and the trust that must result from it between allies.”

The U.S. State Department stood by Kushner’s comments, with spokesperson Tommy Pigott adding on Sunday evening that “Ambassador Kushner is our U.S. government representative in France and is doing a great job advancing our national interests in that role,” according to the Associated Press.

The letter comes weeks after the French leader announced that Paris intends to unilaterally recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assemblyin September.

Kushner wrote that since Oct. 7, 2023, “pro-Hamas extremists and radical activists have waged a campaign of intimidation and violence across Europe.”

Antisemitism in France has been on the rise for years.

The letter is dated Aug. 25, despite being published a day earlier, a date Kushner notes is “the 81st anniversary of the Allied Liberation of Paris, which ended the deportation of Jews from French soil” under Nazi German occupation.

Antisemitism has “long scarred French life,” Kushner wrote.

He accused Macron of contributing to the escalating antisemitism through his harsh criticism of Israeli actions during nearly two years of fighting and by announcing intentions to recognize a Palestinian state next month at the United Nations meeting. Kushner wrote that such moves “embolden extremists, fuel violence, and endanger Jewish life in France.”

“In today’s world, anti-Zionism is antisemitism—plain and simple,” Kushner added.

“Surveys show most French citizens believe another Holocaust could happen in Europe. Nearly half of French youth report never having heard of the Holocaust at all. What are children being taught in French schools if such ignorance persists?” Kushner’s letter reads.

Earlier this month, the head of CRIF, the French Jewish umbrella group that represents the community, noted a “very strong rise” in antisemitism in the country, adding, “I don’t know a family that is not speaking about” emigration to Israel.

The 71-year-old real estate developer, whose son is Jared Kushner—a senior advisor during the first Trump term and who is married to President Donald Trump’s daughter Ivanka—took the post on July 11. His portfolio also includes Monaco. The elder Kushner, born to Jewish Holocaust survivors, was reportedly named Chanan after a relative killed in a concentration camp.

France is home to the largest Jewish and Muslim populations in Europe, with around half a million Jews and millions of Muslims.

Kushner wrote that he is ready to work with Macron and other French leaders to “forge a serious plan” to address the problem. In the summon statement, the foreign ministry asserted that French authorities have “fully mobilized” to tackle the rise in antisemitic acts, calling them “intolerable.”

In the latest reported antisemitic act, the manager of Parcours aérien Tyrovol, an outdoor adventure facility known for its aerial zipline course and located near Porté-Puymorens in southern France, refused entry to 150 Israelis aged 8 to 16, French media reported on Aug. 21, citing the Perpignan Public Prosecutor’s Office.

The manager was taken into police custody on suspicion of “discrimination based on religion in the provision of goods or services.”