France summons US ambassador over antisemitism allegations

PARIS (Reuters) -France summoned the American ambassador Charles Kushner after he wrote a letter to French President Emmanuel Macron alleging France had failed to do enough to stem antisemitic violence, a French foreign ministry spokesperson said on Sunday.

Kushner, who is Jewish and whose son is married to U.S. President Donald Trump's daughter, published the open letter in the Wall Street Journal amid deep divides between France and the U.S. and Israel.

In the letter, he urged French President Emmanuel Macron to more urgently enforce hate-crime laws and tone down criticism of Israel, saying French government statements about recognising a Palestinian state have fuelled antisemitic incidents in France.

"France has learned of the allegations made by the United States Ambassador, Mr. Charles Kushner, who, in a letter to the President of the Republic, expressed his concern about the rise in antisemitic acts in France and noted the alleged lack of sufficient action by the French authorities to combat them," the ministry said.

"The Ambassador's allegations are unacceptable," the ministry said, adding Kushner would be due to appear on Monday.

Kushner's letter follows another sent to Macron by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu earlier this week in which Netanyahu accused Macron of contributing to antisemitism by calling for international recognition of a Palestinian state, according to the Jerusalem Post.

Macron has emerged as one of the more forceful critics of Netanyahu's prosecution of the war in Gaza, particularly with regard to Palestinian civilian casualties, while Trump has steadfastly supported the Israeli leader.

"Public statements haranguing Israel and gestures toward recognition of a Palestinian state embolden extremists, fuel violence, and endanger Jewish life in France. In today's world, anti-Zionism is antisemitism - plain and simple," Kushner wrote.

Kushner's son Jared Kushner is married to Trump's daughter Ivanka Trump, who converted to Judaism before their wedding in 2009. They have three children who are being raised Jewish.

Macron has publicly criticized antisemitism as antithetical to French values and increased security to protect synagogues and other Jewish centres in response to antisemitic incidents linked to the Gaza conflict.

(Reporting by Elizabeth Pineau and Gabriel Stargardter in Paris and Daniel Trotta in Los Angeles; Editing by Makini Brice and Chris Reese)