France on Tuesday slammed as "abject" and "erroneous" an accusation from Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu that President Emmanuel Macron's move to recognise a Palestinian state was fuelling antisemitism in his country.
France "protects and will always protect its Jewish citizens", Macron's office said, adding that a letter from Netanyahu containing his allegation "will not go unanswered".
"This is a time for seriousness and responsibility, not for conflation and manipulation," the French presidency added.
Last month, Macron said France would formally recognise a Palestinian state during a UN meeting in September, the first G7 country to do so.
The move drew a swift rebuke from Israel. In a letter sent to Macron, seen by AFP, Netanyahu claimed that antisemitism had "surged" in France following the announcement.
"Your call for a Palestinian state pours fuel on this antisemitic fire. It is not diplomacy, it is appeasement. It rewards Hamas terror, hardens Hamas's refusal to free the hostages, emboldens those who menace French Jews and encourages the Jew-hatred now stalking your streets," Netanyahu wrote in the letter.
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.
Australia joined the list earlier this month, announcing its intention to recognise a Palestinian state in September.
"Violence against the (French) Jewish community is intolerable," the French presidency said.
"That is why, beyond criminal convictions, the president has systematically required all his governments since 2017 -- and even more so since the terrorist attacks of October 7, 2023 -- to show the strongest action against perpetrators of antisemitic acts," it said.
Macron's minister for Europe, Benjamin Haddad, separately said in reaction to Netanyahu's letter that France has "no lessons to learn in the fight against antisemitism".
The issue "which is poisoning our European societies" must not be "exploited", Haddad added.
France is home to Europe's biggest Jewish community.
Reported antisemitic acts in France surged from 436 in 2022 to 1,676 in 2023, before dipping to 1,570 last year, according to the interior ministry.
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