U.S. Ambassador to France Charles Kushner sent a scathing open letter to President Emmanuel Macron, slamming France’s failure to curb a surge in antisemitism since Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack. Published in The Wall Street Journal, the letter accuses France of inaction as Jews face daily assaults, synagogue vandalism, and business attacks, with even preschools targeted, per France’s own Interior Ministry. Kushner links France’s criticism of Israel and steps toward Palestinian statehood to emboldened extremists, bluntly stating, “anti-Zionism is antisemitism—plain and simple.” Citing his and President Trump’s Jewish family ties, he highlights U.S. actions—cracking down on campus harassment, boosting synagogue security, deporting Hamas sympathizers, and targeting Iran’s nuclear program—as proof antisemitism can be fought with resolve.

Kushner warns that French Jews fear a repeat of history, with many urging their children to emigrate and surveys showing widespread Holocaust ignorance among French youth. He urges Macron to enforce hate-crime laws, protect Jewish sites, and drop policies legitimizing Hamas. France’s Foreign Ministry fired back, calling the letter “unacceptable” and a violation of the 1961 Vienna Convention for interfering in internal affairs, summoning a U.S. diplomat in Kushner’s absence. The clash exposes deep U.S.-France tensions over Israel and antisemitism, with the U.S. State Department standing by Kushner’s claims.