Diplomacy. Anti-Semitism: US Ambassador Summoned After His "Unacceptable" Remarks About Macron

US Ambassador to France Charles Kushner on Sunday denounced President Emmanuel Macron 's "lack of sufficient action" against anti-Semitism, echoing criticism from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu .

In a letter addressed to the head of state obtained by AFP on Sunday, the ambassador expressed "his deep concern at the surge in anti-Semitism in France and the lack of sufficient action by (his) government to combat it."

Paris "firmly refutes these latest allegations"

These accusations are "unacceptable," according to the French Ministry of Foreign Affairs. "They run counter to international law, particularly the duty not to interfere in the internal affairs of states […]. They also fall short of the quality of the transatlantic relationship between France and the United States and the trust that should result between allies," the Quai d'Orsay stated.

"France firmly refutes these latest allegations. The rise in anti-Semitic acts in France since October 7, 2023, is a reality that we deplore and against which the French authorities are demonstrating total mobilization, as these acts are intolerable," the ministry added.

The American diplomat's criticism comes just days after Benjamin Netanyahu's violent attack on the French president , whom he accused of "fueling the anti-Semitic fire" by calling for international recognition of the State of Palestine .

An analysis that is "erroneous, abject and (which) will not remain unanswered," the French presidency had already replied.

“Anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism”

In his letter, the American ambassador echoes Netanyahu's argument. "Statements that vilify Israel and gestures in recognition of a Palestinian state encourage extremists, foment violence, and endanger Jewishness in France," said Charles Kushner, father of Donald Trump 's son-in-law, Jared Kushner.

"Today, there is no longer any room for procrastination: anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism, period," he believes. The US representative in France is also outraged that "almost half of young French people say they have never heard of the Holocaust."

"The persistence of such ignorance therefore pushes us to question the school curriculum in French schools," he adds.