Israel Cuts Ties With EU Foreign Policy Chief After Apartheid Comparison Report

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar announced today (Thursday) that Israel is cutting ties with European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas.

In his statement, Sa'ar wrote: "Ms. Kallas, the European Union's High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, has for some time been acting obsessively and with shocking unfairness against the State of Israel. Recently, it was publicly reported that during her visit to Mexico, Kallas compared Israel's policy toward Arabs in the Gaza Strip and in Judea and Samaria to the racist apartheid regime in South Africa."

"I thank the many European elected officials who objected to and condemned these grave remarks. But so far, Kallas has avoided any denial, response, or comment of her own regarding the statements. Therefore, as the Foreign Minister of the State of Israel, I have no choice but to sever all ties with Ms. Kallas until she retracts the blood libel she hurled at the world's only Jewish state, which is also the only democracy in the Middle East. And that is what I am doing."

In response to Sa'ar's statement, Kallas said: "Dialogue is the foundation of diplomacy, especially when there are differences. The European Union is always committed to productive relations with Israel. To bring peace to the Middle East, a two-state solution remains the only way."