A diplomatic row between the United States and France escalated on Monday when Washington decided to stand firmly behind its ambassador's criticism of the French response to a rising tide of antisemitism.

France has summoned the American ambassador over a letter alleging the country did not do enough to combat antisemitism.

The new American envoy, Charles Kushner, said that France was not doing enough to protect its Jewish citizens, a charge the government in Paris said it “firmly refutes.”