Israeli foreign minister suspends contact with EU foreign policy chief over alleged apartheid remarks
Israel's foreign minister Gideon Saar announced a pause in diplomatic communication with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas after reports she likened Israel's policies to apartheid, a claim the EU official did not directly refute.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Thursday that he is suspending all contact with the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, following reports that she compared Israel’s treatment of Palestinians to South Africa’s former apartheid system. The reports, cited by the news outlet Euractiv, said Kallas made the comparison during high-level talks with Mexican officials in May.
Saar posted on X that Kallas had shown a “longstanding bias” against Israel and accused her of “obsessively and with blatant unfairness” toward the state. He added that because Kallas had neither denied nor clarified the alleged comments, he had “no choice but to sever all contact” until she retracts what he called a “blood libel” against Israel.
Kallas responded on X, emphasizing that the EU remains committed to its relationship with Israel and that dialogue is essential for diplomacy. She reiterated the EU’s support for a two-state solution and its opposition to illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank, without directly addressing the apartheid allegation.
The dispute arises amid heightened international scrutiny of Israel’s policies in Gaza and the occupied West Bank. In January, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights concluded that Israel was violating international law that prohibits racial segregation and apartheid. The International Court of Justice’s July 2024 advisory opinion similarly described Israel’s occupation of Palestinian territory as unlawful and raised concerns about segregation and apartheid in the occupied areas.