Overview
- Israel's foreign minister, Gideon Saar, announced Thursday that he was cutting all contact with EU high representative Kaja Kallas and demanded a retraction after a Euractiv report said she compared Israeli treatment of Palestinians to South African apartheid.
- Kallas publicly offered to continue constructive dialogue and sent a letter reiterating the EU's positions, including support for a two‑state solution and condemnation of Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
- The dispute centers on attribution of comments reported from closed‑door meetings in Mexico, making the provenance of the Euractiv account and whether the remarks were off‑the‑record the core issue driving the rupture.
- The incident follows Kallas's March 2025 visit to Israel and the West Bank and growing criticism from some European capitals that she has prioritized support for Ukraine over other crises, a backdrop that has sharpened reactions to the report.
- The use of the word 'apartheid' by rights groups and UN bodies has made the allegation especially sensitive in Israeli politics, and Israel's suspension of contact is an unusual escalation that could affect cooperation on trade, aid and diplomatic initiatives.