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

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said on Thursday that he is severing ties with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas after reports that she compared Israel to apartheid-era South Africa. In a post on X, Sa'ar accused Kallas of acting for a long time with “obsessive” and “shameful dishonesty” against Israel.

Sa'ar was referring to a Euractiv report from last week saying Kallas made the comparison during a meeting with senior Mexican officials, linking Israel's treatment of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank to South Africa's apartheid policies. He said he would keep ties cut until she retracts what he called a “blood libel” against the only Jewish state and the only democracy in the Middle East.

An unnamed European diplomat told Euractiv that the EU is critical of Israel and supports a two-state solution, but said the comparison is unacceptable and not EU policy. “It is a big problem that she makes statements like this while officially representing the EU on the world stage,” the diplomat said.

Sa'ar also thanked “the many European elected officials who distanced themselves and condemned these grave remarks.” He added that Kallas has so far “avoided any denial, response or comment” about the claims. The row comes as the EU is separately imposing sanctions on organizations and activists in the West Bank, and amid other recent EU-Israel tensions over possible sanctions on Israel.