Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar on Sunday urged France to “wake up” after a Holocaust memorial in Lyon was vandalized, the latest in an ongoing spate of incidents of antisemitism in the country.
“Desecration of a Holocaust memorial in Lyon, France. But when the US Ambassador to France, Charles Kushner, expressed his concern about the rising antisemitism there - he was rebuked for interfering in ‘internal affairs’. France must wake up!” Sa’ar wrote in a post on X.
His comment refers to a letter sent last week by Kushner to French President Emmanuel Macron, in which he accused France of a “lack of sufficient action” against antisemitism.
In his letter, which was released to the media, Kushner claimed that gestures such as Macron's plan to formally recognize a Palestinian state “embolden extremists, fuel violence, and endanger Jewish life in France.”
He underscored his personal connection, writing, “President Trump and I have Jewish children and share Jewish grandchildren. I know how he feels about antisemitism, as do all Americans.”
France announced it would summon Kushner over the letter, but the Trump administration expressed support for the ambassador and doubled down on his critique.
"We stand by his comments," State Department spokesman Tommy Pigott said. "Ambassador Kushner is our US government representative in France and is doing a great job advancing our national interests in that role.”
France has seen a rise in antisemitism following the October 7, 2023 Hamas attack on Israel and the subsequent Israeli military response in Gaza.
According to France’s interior ministry, 646 antisemitic acts were recorded in the first half of 2025. While this marks a 27% decrease from the same period in 2024, it represents a staggering 112% increase compared to the first half of 2023.