EU foreign policy chief responds to Saar’s unusual move

EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas issued her first response after an unusual step by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar, in a message addressed to him. In the statement, she said the European Union values its ties with Israel and wants to keep communicating in a respectful and constructive way.

Kallas wrote, “Dear Gideon, as you know, the European Union and Israel have many ties linking us. I value our dialogue and engagement, and I am open to continuing in this spirit, with respect and constructively.” She added that dialogue is the basis of diplomacy, “especially when disagreements arise.”

She also stressed that the EU remains committed to a constructive relationship with Israel, but repeated Brussels’ position that a two-state solution is still “the only viable way” to bring peace to the Middle East. At the same time, she said the EU condemns what she called illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank, arguing that they increasingly make that goal harder to achieve.

Kallas concluded by saying, “This is the position of the European Union.”