Diplomatic Rift
Israel Severs Diplomatic Contact with EU Representative Kaja Kallas Amid Apartheid Dispute
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Key Points
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Israel’s foreign minister said he was acting because Kallas had not issued any “denial, clarification or response” to the report—calling her behavior “obsessively” and “with blatant unfairness” toward Israel, and framing the severing of ties as demanded until she retracts the “blood libel.”
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Kallas’s remarks were tied to a specific trip: she visited Mexico City on May 20–22 as part of an EU delegation and, during closed-door meetings with Mexican government representatives, compared Israel’s treatment of Palestinians with apartheid South Africa—after being “moved” by a visit to the Apartheid Museum in Johannesburg in 2023.
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Multiple EU member states explicitly rejected the apartheid framing, with reports noting Germany and France among those rejecting the characterization of Israel’s policy.
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Coverage said the apartheid comparison is consistent with how some international bodies and legal cases characterize Israel’s regime over Palestinian territories—citing assessments by the UN and the International Court of Justice (ICJ), and noting that South Africa’s ICJ case against Israel under the Genocide Convention is built around this framing.
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar severed all diplomatic contact with EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas on June 18, 2026, calling her remarks a "blood libel" against Israel. According to Reuters, Sa'ar announced the move after reports emerged that Kallas privately compared Israel's treatment of Palestinians to apartheid-era South Africa — and then refused to deny, clarify, or retract the comparison.
"I have no choice but to sever all contact with Ms. Kallas until she retracts the blood libel she directed at the world's only Jewish state," Sa'ar wrote on X. The break marks the second time in recent years that Israel has cut off the EU's top diplomat — Jerusalem previously boycotted Kallas's predecessor, Josep Borrell, over his Gaza remarks.
What Kallas Said and When She Said It
The remarks trace back to a May 20–22, 2026 trip to Mexico City, where Kallas led an EU delegation. During closed-door meetings with Mexican officials, she reportedly compared Israel's policies in Palestinian territories to apartheid South Africa. Euractiv reported the story on June 12, citing multiple anonymous EU and Mexican diplomats who were present.
Kallas's office declined to address the reports directly, saying she does not respond to "allegations coming from anonymous sources." Sa'ar said her silence was the problem. He accused her of acting "obsessively and with blatant unfairness" toward Israel, and said he would restore contact only after a full retraction.
Germany and France Reject the Apartheid Label
Not all EU members backed Kallas's framing. During a Foreign Affairs Council meeting on June 15, Germany and France reportedly distanced themselves from the apartheid comparison. Their view: while Israeli settlement activity in the West Bank is illegal under international law, calling it "apartheid" is counterproductive and undermines the EU's role as a neutral mediator.
Internal EU friction has been building for months. Diplomats from Germany and Italy have reportedly blocked full suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement — the trade deal worth €43.3 billion in 2025 goods trade, making the EU Israel's single largest trading partner, according to Reuters.
The Apartheid Label Has Real Legal Weight at the ICJ
The comparison Kallas reportedly made is not just a political opinion — it has formal legal standing. South Africa's ongoing case against Israel at the International Court of Justice under the Genocide Convention is built around the apartheid framing. UN experts and human rights groups have used the same term in official reports. Ireland and Spain, among EU member states, have backed this characterization.
Israel rejects this framing entirely. Sa'ar's use of the term "blood libel" — a historically charged phrase tied to antisemitic persecution — signals how seriously Jerusalem views the comparison. Rabbi Menachem Margolin of the European Jewish Association said Kallas is "fueling the antisemitism fire in Europe" by using the apartheid label, according to Euractiv.
Israel Will Now Bypass Brussels and Go Bilateral
The diplomatic freeze has immediate practical costs. The EU-Israel Association Council — the main forum for high-level talks — is now likely to stay frozen. That complicates coordination on Iran, Lebanon, and Gaza, where the EU plays a secondary but real role. It also puts pressure on any future vote in the EU Foreign Affairs Council on partial trade sanctions against Israel.
Analysts say Sa'ar's move is partly strategic. By labeling Kallas's remarks a blood libel, Israel frames any upcoming EU sanctions as driven by personal bias rather than law. Israel is also expected to lean harder on friendly bilateral partners — Hungary, Italy, and Czech Republic — to block measures at the EU level, effectively routing around Brussels altogether, according to Reuters.
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