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Israeli Foreign Minister Suspends Contact with EU Foreign Policy Chief
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar announced he is cutting ties with the European Union’s foreign policy chief after reports that she compared Israel’s policies toward Palestinians to South Africa’s former apartheid system. The EU official responded by stressing continued commitment to dialogue.
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Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar said he is suspending all contact with the European Union’s foreign policy chief after reports that she compared Israel’s treatment of Palestinians to South Africa’s former apartheid system. The diplomatic dispute began after European news outlet Euractiv reported last week that the comparison was made during talks with Mexican officials in May.
Saar posted on X on Thursday that the official had shown bias against Israel and had neither denied nor clarified the reported remarks.
” The EU official replied on X that dialogue remains essential and that the European Union and Israel share many ties, without directly addressing the apartheid allegation. The official also restated the European Union’s support for a two-state solution and its opposition to Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank.
The exchange occurs amid ongoing international scrutiny of Israel’s actions in Gaza and the West Bank. In January, the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights concluded that Israel was violating international law by maintaining systems of racial segregation and apartheid in the West Bank.
A July 2024 advisory opinion by the International Court of Justice similarly found Israel’s occupation unlawful and raised concerns about racial segregation and apartheid in Palestinian territory.
