European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas responded after Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said he would sever contact with her following a reported comparison she made, which she did not deny, between Israel and an apartheid regime. Kallas said, "Dialogue is the basis of diplomacy, especially when there are gaps." She added that the European Union "is always committed to productive relations with Israel."
Kallas also said that in order to bring peace to the Middle East, a two-state solution "remains the only way." Her remarks came after Saar's public move to cut off ties in response to her reported comments. The exchange highlights a widening dispute between the sides over language and policy toward Israel and the Palestinian conflict.