EU foreign minister privately accuses Israel of apartheid – report

European Union foreign affairs chief under fire after reportedly comparing Israel to apartheid-ridden South Africa.

By World Israel News Staff

European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas privately compared Israel’s treatment of Palestinians to apartheid-era South Africa during high-level talks in Mexico, according to a report that has drawn criticism from Jewish communal leaders and renewed attention to divisions inside the EU over Israel policy.

Euractiv reported that Kallas made the comparison in closed meetings with senior Mexican officials.

The remarks were not part of an official public EU statement, and the EU has not adopted an official policy describing Israel as an apartheid state.

One EU diplomat quoted by European Jewish Press said the comparison went beyond the bloc’s agreed line.

“The EU is critical of Israel and supports a two-state solution. The comparison with apartheid is unacceptable and not EU policy. It is a big problem if she is making these kinds of statements while officially representing the EU on the world stage,” the diplomat said.

The report prompted a sharp response from Rabbi Menachem Margolin, chairman of the European Jewish Association, who said the remarks attributed to Kallas were “fueling the antisemitism fire in Europe.”

“We had hoped that such blatantly false language was in the past, buried deep along with the dubious legacy of Josep Borrell,” Margolin said. “It is a pity that after such a promising start, the High Representative is reverting to her predecessor’s type.”

“Apartheid, just like genocide, is a very important word,” he added. “It carries weight and is pregnant with emotional and historical meaning. To use it in such a context diminishes it.”

The controversy comes as EU governments remain split over calls to pressure Israel over the war with Hamas, the war in Lebanon, and Israeli policies in Judea and Samaria.

Some member states have pushed for sanctions or a partial suspension of the EU-Israel Association Agreement, while others have opposed steps that would downgrade ties with Israel.

In April, EU foreign ministers rejected calls by Spain, Ireland and Slovenia to suspend preferential trade arrangements with Israel, although discussion of measures related to settlement goods continued.

The EU’s diplomatic service previously accused Israel of breaching human rights obligations under Article 2 of the EU-Israel Association Agreement.