Israeli foreign minister says he is severing contact with EU foreign policy chief
Gideon Saar said Kaja Kallas has not retracted the reported comparison, and several EU member states rejected the remarks.
- On Thursday, Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced he is severing all contact with European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas, citing reports that she compared Israel to apartheid-era South Africa during a visit to Mexico last month.
- Reports from Euractiv cited diplomats saying Kallas made the comparison during closed-door meetings in Mexico City last month, reportedly after visiting an apartheid museum in Johannesburg the previous year.
- Accusing Kallas of "acting obsessively and with blatant unfairness toward the State of Israel," Saar labeled the remarks a "blood libel," noting she has neither denied nor clarified the comments.
- The move marks a low point in diplomatic relations, echoing Israel's previous boycott of Josep Borrell, while the European Union's 27 member states remain divided on their approach to Israel.
- Apartheid allegations are central to South Africa's case at the International Court of Justice regarding Israel's conduct in Gaza, while the European Union has sanctioned three individuals and four entities for human rights abuses in the West Bank.
109 Articles
109 Articles
The EU's highest diplomat is said to have compared Israel's policy with the apartheid system - the country reacts with a break-in of contact. What do the EU's tops think?
A media report on alleged statements by EU High Representative Kaja Kallas, in which she compares Israel with an apartheid system, creates a stir. Israel then breaks off contact with her. Kallas comments on the margins of the EU summit in Brussels - without providing any final clarity.
Het Laatste Nieuws
De MorgenGerman Chancellor Friedrich Merz rejects a comparison between Israel and the South African apartheid regime allegedly made by the High Representative for European Foreign Policy, Kaja Kallas. He gave this answer on Thursday to a question from a journalist upon arrival at the European summit in Brussels.
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