Gideon Sa'ar

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar said Israel is severing ties with European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas after reports that she compared Israeli policy to apartheid-era South Africa.

At a meeting in Prague, the Czech Republic laid out a hard line against any European effort to impose sanctions on Israel. Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar sharply criticized European governments that, he said, are pushing an anti-Israel agenda: "They are harming relations with the only democracy in the Middle East in order to win applause from the terror states in our region."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar have directed the Foreign Ministry's legal team to sue The New York Times over reports alleging severe abuse of Palestinian prisoners in Israeli jails. Israel's Diaspora Affairs Ministry says the stories relied on a Hamas-linked propaganda organization.

EU foreign ministers back penalties on four groups and three individuals over alleged violence against Palestinians. Israel’s Gideon Sa’ar blasts the move as political and rejects any comparison to Hamas.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar blasted Belgian authorities after indictments of mohels in Antwerp, calling it "a stain on Belgium." Tensions spilled into the American arena when the U.S. ambassador in Brussels was summoned for a reprimand after he criticized the move.

On a visit to Israel, Czech Foreign Minister Petr Mzinka placed a note between the stones at the Western Wall, toured the new 'Gate of Heaven' exhibit, and urged: "Keep showing this unique site to the whole world so everyone recognizes its importance."