Israel Severs Ties With EU’s Kallas Over Apartheid Smear
Israel severed contact with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas after she allegedly compared Israeli policy to South African apartheid in private remarks made in Mexico in late May.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced the suspension of all communications with Kaja Kallas, accusing the EU High Representative of spreading what he characterized as a slanderous falsehood against the Jewish state, according to Brussels Signal.
The crisis erupted after Euractiv published a report on June 12 citing diplomatic sources who claimed Kallas made the controversial comparison during a private discussion in Mexico in late May. The alleged remarks suggested parallels between Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank and South Africa’s historical apartheid system.
Behind Closed Doors vs. Public Posture
The leaked comments reveal a potentially significant disconnect between the EU’s official diplomatic stance and views expressed privately by senior Brussels officials. European Union leadership has traditionally refrained from drawing apartheid comparisons in public statements regarding Israel, making the alleged private remarks particularly inflammatory.
The revelation that Kallas may have employed such charged language behind closed doors has exposed what critics describe as the true ideological bent of EU foreign policy leadership, regardless of public diplomacy protocols.
Deepening Rift
The breakdown in relations comes amid broader tensions between Brussels and Israel, with EU member states increasingly divided over Middle East policy. The dispute represents one of the most serious confrontations between the European Union and Israel in recent memory, as Brussels Signal reports.
Saar’s decision to cut official ties with Kallas underscores Jerusalem’s unwillingness to tolerate what Israeli officials view as delegitimization of the Jewish state from European diplomatic quarters. The move effectively freezes a critical channel of communication between Israel and the EU’s foreign policy apparatus at a time of heightened regional instability.
The controversy adds fresh complications to an already strained relationship, with questions now mounting about whether Kallas can continue to function effectively as the EU’s principal foreign policy representative in matters concerning Israel.
With information from Brussels Signal
