▲ Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar has declared a severance of ties with Kaja Kallas, the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, after she compared Israel to the apartheid regime of the former South Africa.
On June 18 (local time), Minister Sa'ar stated on X (formerly Twitter) that Kallas had compared Israel to apartheid during a high-level meeting in Mexico, criticizing her by saying, "She has been obsessively and blatantly unfair to Israel for some time."
Multiple officials and diplomats told the European media outlet Euractiv that Kallas had compared Israel's treatment of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank to the apartheid system that existed in South Africa until the early 1990s.
Following the report of her remarks, criticism emerged from a number of prominent figures within Europe.
"To date, there has been no denial, clarification, or response from Representative Kallas regarding these serious remarks," Sa'ar emphasized. "Therefore, I have no choice but to cut off all contact until she retracts this 'blood libel'."
(Photo: AP, Yonhap News)
※ Please note: This article was translated by AI and may contain errors.