Star Metro - Row breaks out as US diplomat criticises France on antisemitism

The letter from Charles Kushner, dated August 25 but leaked to the media on Sunday, echoed Israel's criticism of France days earlier, which provoked a sharp response from Paris.

Kushner's letter to Macron noted that Monday was "the 81st anniversary of the Allied Liberation of Paris, which ended the deportation of Jews from French soil" under Nazi German occupation.

He wrote: "I write out of deep concern over the dramatic rise of antisemitism in France and the lack of sufficient action by your government to confront it...

"In France, not a day passes without Jews assaulted in the street, synagogues or schools defaced, or Jewish-owned businesses vandalized," he added.

While "antisemitism has long scarred French life", the ambassador argued that hatred of Jews "has exploded since Hamas's barbaric assault on October 7, 2023," which triggered the ongoing war in Gaza.

"France firmly refutes these latest allegations," said a foreign ministry statement in response, hours after the letter's contents were made public.

"The allegations from the ambassador are unacceptable."

The ministry said the 1961 Vienna Convention meant ambassadors were not permitted to interfere in a country's internal affairs. Kushner would be summoned to the foreign ministry on Monday, it added.

- 'Anti-Zionism is antisemitism' -

His remarks tally with those made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who on Tuesday accused Macron of fomenting antisemitism, saying it had "surged" in France following the French president's announcement last month that he will recognise Palestinian statehood.

Macron's Elysee office was quick to hit back at Netanyahu, calling the Israeli leader's allegation "abject" and "erroneous".

But like Netanyahu, Kushner denounced Macron's criticisms of Israel over the war in Gaza and his planned recognition of a State of Palestine. Such moves, he said, "embolden extremists, fuel violence, and endanger Jewish life in France".

"In today's world, anti-Zionism is antisemitism -- plain and simple," the ambassador 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?," the letter read.

France is home to Western Europe's largest Jewish population at around half a million people, as well as a significant Muslim community sensitive to the plight of the Palestinian people in Gaza.

Both communities have reported a spike in hate crimes since Israel's retaliatory offensive against the Palestinian militant group Hamas in the besieged coastal strip.

Macron's announcement that France would formally recognise a Palestinian state during a UN meeting in September drew a swift rebuke from Israel at the time.

With the move, France is set to join a list of nations that has grown since the start of the Gaza war nearly two years ago.

France is among at least 145 of the 193 UN members that now recognise or plan to recognise a Palestinian state, according to an AFP tally.

K.Evans--SMC