On August 25, 2025, the diplomatic corridors of Paris were abuzz with tension after Charles Kushner, the United States Ambassador to France and father of Jared Kushner, found himself at the center of a storm. The French government formally summoned Kushner following the publication of a sharply worded letter and op-ed in the Wall Street Journal just a day earlier, in which he accused France of not doing enough to combat a rising tide of antisemitism and, more controversially, of emboldening extremists through its criticisms of Israel and gestures toward recognizing a Palestinian state.
Kushner, appointed by President Donald Trump and confirmed by the Senate in May 2025, did not attend the summons personally. Instead, he sent his deputy—a move that, according to a French diplomatic official (as reported by the Associated Press), did little to quell Paris' displeasure. The French foreign ministry wasted no time in labeling Kushner’s allegations as “unacceptable,” arguing that his statements violated international law and the diplomatic norm of non-interference in a host country’s internal affairs.
At the heart of the controversy was Kushner’s assertion that “public statements haranguing Israel and gestures toward recognition of a Palestinian state embolden extremists, fuel violence, and endanger Jewish life in France.” He called on President Emmanuel Macron to “act decisively: enforce hate-crime laws without exception, ensure the safety of Jewish schools, synagogues and businesses ... and abandon steps that give legitimacy to Hamas and its allies.” The letter, released late on August 24, echoed concerns that have simmered within parts of the Jewish community in France—home to Europe’s largest Jewish population, estimated at around 500,000 people, or roughly one percent of the national total.
France’s response was swift and firm. The foreign ministry’s statement not only rejected Kushner’s accusations but also emphasized that “they also fall short of the quality of the transatlantic relationship between France and the United States and the trust that should result from it between allies.” French officials stressed that the government is fully mobilized against antisemitism, citing recent efforts to protect Jewish citizens and institutions in the wake of a global spike in both antisemitic and Islamophobic incidents following the war in Gaza. The ministry pointedly reminded the U.S. that “rising antisemitism is a reality that we deplore and against which the French authorities are demonstrating total mobilization.”
The diplomatic dustup comes at a time when relations between France and the United States have been tested on several fronts. Trade disputes, disagreements over the future of U.N. peacekeepers in Lebanon, and diverging approaches to supporting Ukraine in its war with Russia have all contributed to a year of tension. However, according to reports from the Associated Press and TIME, a recent meeting at the White House between Trump, Macron, and other European leaders had suggested a warming of ties—at least on the surface.
Kushner’s letter, however, threatened to reopen old wounds. In it, he tied the French government’s criticism of Israel’s military operations in Gaza to a broader failure to protect French Jews. “In today’s world, anti-Zionism is antisemitism—plain and simple,” he wrote, a sentiment that has become a flashpoint in the global debate over what constitutes antisemitic rhetoric. He cited reports of pro-Hamas extremists and radical activists waging campaigns of intimidation and violence across Europe, including the defacing of synagogues and assaults on Jewish people. Kushner also referenced surveys indicating that nearly half of French youth lack basic knowledge of the Holocaust, asking, “What are children being taught in French schools if such ignorance persists?”
France’s government, for its part, has been vocal in both condemning antisemitic attacks and criticizing Israel’s military actions in Gaza. President Macron recently posted on X that “the military offensive in Gaza that Israel is preparing can only lead to disaster for both peoples and risks plunging the entire region into a cycle of permanent war.” France has also announced plans to recognize a Palestinian state at the United Nations General Assembly in September, a move that has drawn sharp rebukes from Israel and the United States alike. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, in an August 17 letter to Macron, argued that France’s stance “rewards terror and risks creating another Iranian proxy, just as Gaza became.” Macron’s office fired back, calling Netanyahu’s claims “erroneous, abject, and will not go unanswered.”
Kushner’s personal story adds another layer of complexity to the diplomatic spat. A child of Holocaust survivors, he told senators during his confirmation hearing that his grandmothers and other family members were executed by Nazis. His family history, coupled with his business success as founder of Kushner Companies, has long shaped his worldview. Yet, his career has not been without controversy. In 2005, Kushner pleaded guilty to 18 counts—including tax evasion, illegal campaign donations, and witness tampering—and served two years in federal prison. The case, prosecuted by then-U.S. Attorney Chris Christie, was described by Christie as “one of the most loathsome, disgusting crimes” he ever prosecuted. Despite this, President Trump pardoned Kushner in December 2020, a decision that drew both praise and criticism across the political spectrum.
Kushner’s family ties run deep in American politics. His son Jared, married to Ivanka Trump, served as a senior adviser in Trump’s first White House, focusing in part on Middle East peace efforts and criminal justice reform—an area influenced by his father’s own experience with the criminal justice system. “When you’re on the other side of the system, you feel so helpless,” Jared Kushner told The New York Times in 2018, reflecting on his father’s imprisonment and its impact on his own advocacy.
The current row between Paris and Washington is more than a personal matter, however. It reflects a broader debate roiling Western democracies: how to balance the fight against antisemitism with the right to criticize government policies—particularly those of Israel—without stoking hatred or violence. In France, where memories of the Holocaust and more recent terrorist attacks remain painfully fresh, the issue is especially charged. French authorities have pointed to their mobilization against both antisemitic and Islamophobic violence, even as critics argue that more must be done to protect vulnerable communities.
As the diplomatic back-and-forth continues, the stakes remain high—not just for U.S.-French relations, but for the millions watching across Europe and beyond. For now, the world waits to see whether the two allies can find common ground, or whether the dispute will leave a lasting mark on one of the West’s oldest partnerships.
Amid the swirl of controversy, one thing is clear: the fight against hatred, and the struggle to define its boundaries, is far from over on either side of the Atlantic.
