A diplomatic row between Israel and France has broken out after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu accused French President Emmanuel Macron of fueling “the anti-Semitic fire” in France by planning to recognize Palestinian statehood, Al Jazeera reported Wednesday.

Netanyahu’s accusation against the French leader was contained in a letter, seen by the AFP news agency on Tuesday, which claimed that anti-Semitism had “surged” in France since President Macron’s recent announcement that he will recognise Palestine as a state at a meeting of the United Nations General Assembly next month.

The French president’s office hit back swiftly at Netanyahu on Tuesday, calling his allegations “abject” and “erroneous”, and promising that they “will not go unanswered”.

“This is a time for seriousness and responsibility, not for conflation and manipulation,” the French presidency said, adding that France “protects and will always protect its Jewish citizens”.