Israel's foreign minister said Thursday he was severing all contact with the European Union's top diplomat over reported remarks in which she allegedly compared Israel to apartheid-era South Africa.Diplomatic relations between Israel and the EU have come under heavy strain since the Gaza war erupted in October 2023, with violence by Israeli settlers towards Palestinians in the occupied West Bank another point of contention.On Thursday, Israel's Gideon Saar accused EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas of "acting obsessively and with blatant unfairness" towards his country.
Saar's remarks follow a report by European news outlet Euractiv, which said Kallas made the comments during a closed-door meeting with Mexican government officials last month."To date, no denial, clarification or response has been issued," he said."Therefore, as the foreign minister of the State of Israel, 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, which is also the only democracy in the Middle East."- 'Vile and defamatory' -Kallas twice responded to Saar's comments on Thursday -- via social media and to reporters -- but declined to address the alleged "apartheid" remarks."I will not go down that road that I will comment on anything, what was said or not said, behind closed doors," she said on arrival at an EU summit in Brussels, where ties with Israel were on the agenda."It's true that we don't see always eye to eye with the Israelis, for example, regarding the violent settlers and the expansion of settlements on the West Bank," she said, noting she had "good, open, and frank" discussions with Saar that she hoped would continue.
