Israel's Foreign Minister Cuts Ties With EU Counterpart Over Apartheid Comparison

Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Thursday that he is cutting ties with the European Union’s foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, after reports that she compared Israel to apartheid-era South Africa. Saar said the break in contact will remain in place until Kallas retracts what he called a “blood libel” against Israel.

The dispute stems from a report by Euractiv that Kallas made the remark in closed-door meetings in Mexico City in May. According to the report, the comparison came as she was also pushing efforts to impose sanctions on Israel inside the European Union.

Posting on X, Saar accused Kallas of acting “for a long time with obsession and outrageous unfairness against the State of Israel.” He added that, as Israel’s foreign minister, he had “no choice” but to sever all contact until she backs down from the accusation. He described Israel as “the only Jewish state” and “the only democracy in the Middle East.”

The comments prompted sharp criticism from several European figures. A senior European diplomat said the apartheid comparison was unacceptable and not EU policy, while German MEP Hildegard Bentele, who heads the European Parliament delegation for relations with Israel, said such statements damage trust in Europe’s foreign policy apparatus. Former Knesset member Emilie Moatti mocked Saar’s move, calling it amateurish diplomacy and arguing that Israel’s government policies, including what she described as extremist conduct and Jewish terror in the territories, are what fuel apartheid accusations.