Israeli FM Severs Contact with EU Diplomat Over Apartheid Comparison

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced he was severing “all contact” with the European Union’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, following reports she compared Israel’s treatment of Palestinians to South Africa’s apartheid-era policies.

The dispute unfolded on the social media platform X after Saar reacted to a news report from Euractiv. The report, citing unnamed officials, claimed that Kallas, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, made the comparison during a visit to Mexico last month. In response, Saar declared he would cut ties until she retracted the “shameful and libelous” comments.

Kallas replied on X, addressing Saar directly: “I value our dialogue and engagement, and I’m open to continue in that spirit, respectfully and constructively.” She reiterated the EU’s commitment to a two-state solution and its condemnation of illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank. Saar remained defiant, accusing Kallas of “acting obsessively and with blatant unfairness toward the State of Israel.” The EU has previously criticized Israel’s settlement expansion and its conduct in Gaza, though its 27 member states remain divided on the issue.