Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced on June 18, 2026, that he is severing all contact with the EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas [1, 2, 3]. Saar made the decision after reports emerged that Kallas compared Israel’s treatment of Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza to apartheid-era South Africa during a closed-door meeting in Mexico in May 2026 [1, 2, 4]. Saar accused Kallas of "acting obsessively and with blatant unfairness" toward Israel and demanded she retract the allegation [1, 3].
Saar called the comparison a "blood libel" against Israel and said he will maintain the severance until Kallas withdraws her statement. “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,” Saar stated [1, 2, 5]. He specifically referenced the alleged remarks made during Kallas's visit to Mexico from May 20 to 22, 2026 [5, 1].
Kaja Kallas responded on the same day by emphasizing the importance of continued dialogue and the EU’s commitment to a two-state solution. However, she did not deny or retract the alleged apartheid comparison. In a public message, she said, “Dear Gideon, as you know, the EU and Israel have a lot that binds us. I value our dialogue and engagement, and I'm open to continue in that spirit, respectfully and constructively. The EU has condemned the illegal Israeli settlements in the West Bank that make it increasingly difficult to get to that goal. That is the EU position. To bring peace to the Middle East, the Two-State Solution is the only viable path” [4, 6, 7].
Relations between Israel and the European Union, which has 27 member states, have been strained since the Gaza war in October 2023 and ongoing disputes over settlement expansion and settler violence against Palestinians [1, 4, 7]. The EU opposes Israeli settlement expansion in the West Bank and imposed sanctions in May 2026 targeting three individuals and four entities for human rights abuses against Palestinians [1, 7].
The initial public report of Kallas's alleged remarks was published by Euractiv on June 12, 2026, citing unnamed officials [1, 2, 4]. Saar’s announcement on June 18 marks a significant escalation in diplomatic tensions.
No new developments have been announced since Kallas’s June 18 statement. Saar said contact will remain cut until Kallas retracts her statement. The situation remains at a diplomatic standoff as of today.
