Overview
- Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar announced on Thursday that he was cutting all direct contact with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas and demanded she retract or deny the alleged comparison to apartheid-era South Africa.
- The allegation comes from a June 12 Euractiv report that cited unnamed participants at closed-door talks in Mexico saying Kallas likened Israel’s treatment of Palestinians to South African apartheid and referenced a visit to the Apartheid Museum.
- Kallas publicly stressed the value of dialogue and reiterated the EU’s support for a two-state solution and criticism of settlements, but she declined to confirm or deny the specific remarks attributed to her.
- Officials say the spat could have immediate practical consequences, with sources warning that the planned renewal of the EU Border Assistance Mission at Rafah (EUBAM) may be affected by the rupture in ties.
- The row sharpens longer-standing Israel–EU tensions over settlement expansion, recent EU sanctions related to West Bank abuses, and splits among EU capitals that complicate a unified Brussels response.