France’s foreign ministry said it will summon U.S. Ambassador Charles Kushner on Monday after the diplomat publicly accused President Emmanuel Macron’s government of failing to curb a surge in antisemitism. The rebuke marks an unusual escalation between the NATO allies. In an open letter dated 24 August — the 81st anniversary of Paris’s liberation from Nazi occupation — Kushner wrote that “not a day passes without Jews assaulted, synagogues or schools defaced, or Jewish-owned businesses vandalised” in France. He urged Macron to tighten enforcement of hate-crime laws, increase security at Jewish institutions and abandon steps toward recognising a Palestinian state, arguing that such gestures “embolden extremists, fuel violence and endanger Jewish life in France.” Paris called the allegations “unacceptable” and said they violate the Vienna Convention’s bar on interference in domestic affairs. Trade Minister Laurent Saint-Martin said France “has no lessons to receive” on combating antisemitism and suggested Kushner should withdraw his remarks. Equality Minister Aurore Bergé acknowledged a spike in antisemitic incidents after Hamas’s 7 October 2023 attack on Israel but insisted the government’s response has been “extremely firm.” According to Interior Ministry figures, 646 antisemitic acts were recorded in the first half of 2025 — down 27.5% from 2024 yet more than double the level seen in 2023. The diplomatic clash comes less than a week after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu levelled similar criticism at Macron over France’s planned 21 September initiative to recognise a Palestinian state.