Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Thursday he was cutting ties with EU foreign policy representative Kaza Kallas and challenged her to address him. uractive Media reports claim he compared Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza to South Africa’s apartheid during a visit to Mexico last month.
The move comes amid strains in the EU’s relations with Israel over conflicts that followed the October 7, 2023 attacks and more long-running conflicts over disagreements such as Israeli settlement-building in the occupied Palestinian territory.
This also coincides with former Estonian Prime Minister Kallas facing internal pressure from several European governments and reports of dissatisfaction with his performance for other mistakes or perceived mistakes in his role in the European External Action Service (EEAS).
What did Saar say about breaking ties with Kailash?
Sa’ar began his comments online by saying, “For some time now,” Kallas “has been acting with passion and blatant injustice toward the State of Israel.”
then he pointed Euractiv’s June 12 report They alleged that he had compared Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank to that of South Africa’s apartheid regime.
“I am grateful to the many European elected representatives who condemned this serious statement,” Saar said, adding that Saar later shared some such comments, including one from German Christian Democrat veteran Armin Laschet. “However, to date no denial, clarification or response has been issued from their side regarding this serious statement.”
He said he therefore had “no choice but to end all contact with Ms. Callas until she withdraws the blood libel imposed on the world’s only Jewish state, which is also the only democracy in the Middle East.”
How did Callas react?
Callas, the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, responded by addressing Saar by his first name, but without directly tagging him or his comments online.
“Dear Gideon, as you know, the EU and Israel have much that connects us,” she said. “I value our conversation and commitment, and I look forward to continuing that spirit respectfully and constructively.”
He said the EU has “always been committed” to constructive relations with Israel.
“To bring peace to the Middle East, a two-state solution is the only viable path forward,” he wrote. “The EU has condemned illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank which make it harder to reach that goal. This is the EU’s position.”
Earlier in the week, Kallas said the EU would explore options to restrict trade with Israeli settlements, following calls from several member states. He announced sanctions on settlers in the West Bank last month. He also noted that several member states had called for sanctions on hardline Defense Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir, but said no consensus had yet been reached.
The 27 members of the EU can display quite uneven stances on Israel’s foreign policy at a broader level, ranging from more staunch supporters such as Germany and Hungary to more critical countries and governments such as Spain or Slovenia and Ireland.
Saar responded to Callas shortly thereafter, saying, “Even in your comments you refrain from denying or condemning what has been attributed to you and published publicly.”
He said, “The matter is simple: If you have indeed made these disgusting and offensive statements, stand behind them. If you have not, deny it. Until this matter is clarified, my decision will remain unchanged.”
What was alleged in the report about Callas in Mexico?
The report, published last Friday by a European news outlet uractive Citing unnamed “officials and diplomats” partly funded by the EU, it said some of them were present at “high-level talks” as an EU delegation visited Mexico between 20 and 22 May.
It did not directly quote Callas or even paraphrase him, except to allege that he had made some kind of comparison between its behavior and that of South Africa’s apartheid-era regime.
Euractiv wrote, “During closed-door and confidential meetings with Mexican government representatives, Callas compared Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank to South Africa’s racist apartheid policies, which ended in the early 1990s.”
It said he described being impressed by a recent visit to South Africa’s apartheid museum in Johannesburg, without saying how exactly he drew a parallel.
It quoted an “EU diplomat” as saying: “The EU is critical of Israel and supports a two-state solution. Comparisons with apartheid are unacceptable and not EU policy. If she is making these types of statements while officially representing the EU on the world stage then it is a big problem.”
Callas’ office declined to comment on the report.
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Edited by: Jennifer Cimino Gonzalez