Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said on Thursday that he was cutting contact with EU foreign affairs chief Kaja Kallas, accusing her of bias against Israel and demanding that she retract alleged remarks comparing Israel with apartheid-era South Africa.
Mr Saar said Ms Kallas had acted “obsessively and with blatant unfairness” towards Israel. He recalled reports that suggested that she had compared Israel to South Africa's former apartheid regime during a recent visit to Mexico.
The Israeli minister said European politicians had condemned the alleged remarks and criticised Ms Kallas for not issuing a denial, clarification or response.
“I have no choice but to sever all contact with Ms Kallas until she retracts” the remarks, Mr Saar said.
Mr Saar shared social media posts that referred to a June 12 report by European news site Euractiv, which quoted officials and diplomats as saying that Ms Kallas had compared Israel's treatment of Palestinians in the occupied West Bank and Gaza to South Africa's system of legally enforced racial segregation.
In response, Ms Kallas said the EU remains committed to a constructive relationship with Israel. “I value our dialogue and engagement, and I'm open to continue in that spirit, respectfully and constructively,” she wrote on social media.
Ms Kallas added that the EU also remained committed to the two-state solution, and reaffirmed the bloc's condemnation of Israeli settlements in the West Bank.
Mr Saar responded again to Ms Kallas, reaffirming his decision to cut ties with her. He said Ms Kallas had failed to deny or condemn the comments attributed to her, and argued that her silence “speaks for itself”.
“To the best of my knowledge, the statements attributed to you regarding 'apartheid' do not reflect the position of the European Union,” he wrote. “The matter is simple: if you did indeed make these vile and defamatory statements, stand behind them. If you did not make them, deny it.”
He added that his decision to sever contact with Ms Kallas would remain in place until the issue is resolved.
The EU has criticised Israel's expansion of settlements in the West Bank, widely viewed as illegal under international law and an obstacle to the establishment of a Palestinian state.
In May, the bloc imposed sanctions on three people and four entities it held responsible for “serious and systematic human rights abuses against Palestinians in the West Bank”. Mr Saar voiced strong opposition to the decision.
The EU has also criticised Israel's conduct in Gaza while reaffirming its right to defend itself. But the bloc's 27 member states are divided, with some highly critical of Israel and others maintaining close ties.
