EU Foreign Policy Chief Reportedly Compared Israel to Apartheid South Africa in Closed-Door Talks

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas reportedly compared Israel’s treatment of Palestinians to South Africa’s apartheid regime during closed meetings with senior Mexican officials, according to a Friday report by Euractiv. The comments were said to have been made in May, when Kallas visited Mexico City as part of a senior EU delegation attending an international summit.

People who were present at the meetings told the outlet that Kallas described a visit she made last year to the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg and said it had left a strong impression on her. In the discussions, she allegedly likened Israel’s policies toward Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank to the racial segregation system that existed in South Africa until the early 1990s.

The comparison has stirred controversy in Europe as well, especially because the EU has so far not formally adopted the claim that Israel is pursuing apartheid. Countries including Spain and Ireland have previously voiced sharp criticism of Israel, while others such as Germany and France have firmly rejected the analogy.

An EU diplomat criticized the reported remarks, saying, “The European Union is critical of Israel and supports a two-state solution, but the apartheid comparison is unacceptable and is not part of EU policy. If such things were indeed said while she was formally representing the EU internationally, that is a significant problem.” Kallas’s office said it would not comment and did not confirm or deny the report. The publication comes amid growing criticism in Europe of the EU’s diplomatic service, which Kallas leads, over the bloc’s policy on the Gaza war and rising tensions in the Middle East.