High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy and Vice-President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas in Strasbourg.
EU top diplomat compares ‘Israeli’ policies to Apartheid: report
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The European Union’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, Kaja Kallas, has become embroiled in a significant diplomatic controversy following reports that she privately compared ‘Israel’s’ treatment of Palestinians to South Africa’s former apartheid regime.
According to Euractiv, the remarks were made during confidential high-level meetings with Mexican government officials in Mexico City between May 20 and 22, 2026.
Kallas, the former Estonian prime minister who assumed her EU role in December 2024, reportedly drew parallels between ‘Israel’s’ policies in Gaza and the West Bank and the racial segregation system that defined apartheid-era South Africa until the early 1990s.
She referenced a visit to South Africa’s apartheid museum in Johannesburg that had moved her.
The disclosure has highlighted tensions within EU foreign policy circles. EU diplomats cited in the report emphasized that such a comparison does not reflect official EU policy and constitutes a serious misstep for a senior representative.
Kallas’s comments are said to break ranks with the bloc’s public positions, which have included support for ‘Israel’s’ security while criticizing settlement activities and advocating for a two-state solution.
‘Israel’ Responds Strongly to the Allegations
On Thursday, ‘Israeli’ Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar announced the severance of all contact with Kallas.
He described the reported remarks as a “blood libel” and accused her of acting “obsessively and with blatant unfairness” toward ‘Israel’.
Sa’ar stated that dialogue would only resume if Kallas issued a public retraction.
In response, Kallas reiterated the EU’s commitment to a constructive relationship with ‘Israel’ and its support for a two-state solution as the path to peace.
She highlighted the importance of dialogue but did not directly confirm or deny the apartheid comparison.
Broader Context and Implications.
The incident occurs amid ongoing sensitivities in EU-‘Israel’ relations, particularly in light of the conflict following the events of October 7, 2023 and subsequent ‘Israeli’ assault on Gaza.
The EU has imposed sanctions on certain ‘Israeli’ settlers and maintains criticism of policies it views as obstacles to peace, while affirming ‘Israel’s’ right to security.
