Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar announced Israel is severing contact with the EU foreign minister until she apologizes, following a report that she called Israel an 'apartheid state' in closed meetings. The move escalates a diplomatic rift over the remark, which the Zioneer first reported on June 13.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar announced Thursday morning that Israel is severing all contact with the European Union's foreign minister until she issues an apology for reportedly describing Israel as an 'apartheid state.' Sa'ar did not name the minister directly, but the statement follows reports — first covered by The Zioneer on June 13 — that the EU foreign minister made the comparison during closed meetings in Mexico.
Sa'ar's directive effectively freezes high-level diplomatic channels between Israel's Foreign Ministry and the EU's top envoy. The move marks a significant hardening of Israel's stance: rather than issuing a routine condemnation, the government has opted for concrete diplomatic consequences. The foreign minister's office did not specify whether existing multilateral cooperation at lower levels would also be affected.
The 'apartheid' label has long been a flashpoint in Israel-EU relations. Israel has consistently rejected the characterization as a distortion of its security policies and a double standard. The timing — amid ongoing military campaigns and sensitive diplomatic tracks — suggests the government views the remark as undermining its international standing in an already volatile period.
No further details on potential EU responses or whether the minister has responded to the demand were available at the time of drafting.
- DevelopingEU foreign minister reportedly compared Israel to apartheid regime in closed meetings
- DevelopingIsrael's Foreign Ministry condemns France's ban on Smotrich entry
- DevelopingIsraeli FM Saar to Japanese counterpart: Iran must never obtain the world's most dangerous weapons
- DevelopingUK Foreign Secretary urges restraint after call with Iranian counterpart
Source and signal
- Internal intake