Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced that he was severing contacts with the EU’s top diplomat, Kaja Kallas, Reuters reports.
In a statement published on X, Sa’ar explained the move by citing reports of a remark by Kallas in which she allegedly compared Israel to apartheid-era South Africa.
“The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy has for some time been acting obsessively and with clear unfairness toward the State of Israel. It recently became known that during her visit to Mexico she compared Israel to the racist apartheid regime that existed in South Africa,” Sa’ar said.
He added that he had “no choice but to sever all contacts with Ms. Kallas until she retracts the blood libel.”
In response, Kallas said the European Union remained interested in constructive relations with Israel.
“I value our dialogue and engagement, and I am ready to continue them in the same spirit—respectfully and constructively,” she wrote on X.
At the same time, Kallas recalled that, according to the EU’s position, a two-state solution remains “the only viable path” to peace in the Middle East.
A few minutes later, Sa’ar responded to her post. He noted that the EU’s top diplomat had neither denied nor condemned the apartheid remark attributed to her.
“This speaks for itself. As far as I know, the statements attributed to you about ‘apartheid’ do not reflect the position of the European Union,” Israel’s foreign minister wrote.
He added that, until the matter is clarified, his decision would remain in force.
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