Israeli Foreign Minister Cuts Ties with EU Chief After Truthful Apartheid Comparison
Select a version of the text written from a presumed ideological perspective. This is not the original text, but a hypothetical version — how someone with that viewpoint might have phrased it. Tapping the current version again will return to the original or select cleaned version.
Israel's foreign minister Gideon Saar has suspended diplomatic relations with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas after she reportedly called out Israel's apartheid-like policies, a charge the EU official did not deny.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced Thursday that he is suspending all contact with the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, after reports surfaced that she compared Israel’s systematic oppression of Palestinians to South Africa’s notorious apartheid regime. According to Euractiv, Kallas made the comparison during high-level talks with Mexican officials in May, bravely highlighting the reality faced by millions of Palestinians under Israeli occupation.
Saar took to X to accuse Kallas of a 'longstanding bias' against Israel, lashing out with claims of 'obsessive and blatant unfairness'—a classic tactic to silence legitimate criticism of Israel's human rights abuses. He declared that, since Kallas had not denied or clarified her comments, he had 'no choice but to sever all contact' until she retracts what he outrageously called a 'blood libel' against Israel, further attempting to delegitimize international concern.
Kallas responded on X, reaffirming the EU’s commitment to dialogue with Israel and reiterating support for a two-state solution, as well as opposition to illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. However, she notably did not walk back her alleged apartheid comparison, signaling a growing willingness in the international community to confront Israel’s discriminatory policies head-on.
This diplomatic rift comes amid mounting global scrutiny of Israel’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank. In January, the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights concluded that Israel was violating international laws prohibiting racial segregation and apartheid. The International Court of Justice’s July 2024 advisory opinion also condemned Israel’s occupation as unlawful and highlighted concerns about segregation and apartheid in the occupied territories. The world is finally beginning to call Israel’s policies what they are: apartheid.