EU Ambassador Rejects 'Apartheid State' Claim as Brussels-Jerusalem Tensions Rise

European Union Ambassador to Israel Michael Mann told the Jerusalem Post that the EU does not regard Israel as an apartheid state, amid a sharp public rift between Brussels and Jerusalem. The dispute escalated after Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said he was cutting off contact with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas until she apologizes, following reports that she had used the term. Kallas replied that “dialogue is the basis of diplomacy,” while Mann said, “This is not the official policy of the European Union that Israel is an apartheid state. I want to make this absolutely clear.”

Mann, whose posting in Israel began in September 2025, said relations are going through “a difficult period,” but stressed that the EU and Israel remain close partners with deep historical and economic ties. He said the EU backs a two-state solution as “the only viable way” to achieve lasting peace, and rejected claims that Europe singles out Israel unfairly. To illustrate his point, he noted the EU’s latest sanctions package against Russia over the war in Ukraine, saying Europe acts according to developments on the ground, not media bias.

The ambassador also addressed EU criticism of Israel’s interception of an aid flotilla to Gaza and the detention of foreign activists. He said the EU objected to Israel’s decision to stop the flotilla in international waters and rapidly deport those on board, while also noting that abusive treatment seen in videos from Spain was not justified. He added that the EU had already discussed the incident.

Mann said European governments remain deeply concerned about settler violence in Judea and Samaria, citing attacks on Palestinian communities, cars, property, trees and livestock. He said some member states are considering sanctions on Israeli figures, including National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, but no consensus exists because such steps require unanimity among all 27 EU states. On trade, he said the EU is still Israel’s largest trading partner, though some countries have proposed tariffs or bans on settlement goods, and the issue is now under discussion in Brussels. On Gaza, he said aid had at one point been completely blocked and that civilian casualties later in the war were unnecessarily high, while also urging a calmer political tone from Israeli leaders.