Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar published an open response to EU Foreign Minister Kaja Kallas on Thursday, reiterating that he will not resume contact until she explicitly denies or condemns the 'apartheid' remark attributed to her. Sa'ar's statement notes that Kallas's reply avoided directly addressing the accusation, and says the diplomatic freeze will remain until the 'cloud is removed.'
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar further escalated his diplomatic confrontation with EU Foreign Minister Kaja Kallas on Thursday, issuing an open letter shortly after 13:50 Jerusalem in which he explicitly refuses to resume contact until Kallas either denies or condemns the 'apartheid' remark attributed to her. The move follows a rapid sequence of exchanges today: at 11:25 Jerusalem, Sa'ar announced he was severing contact pending an apology. By 13:23 Jerusalem, Kallas had responded, reiterating EU opposition to settlements and support for a two-state solution without addressing the remark directly — a reply Sa'ar now says 'speaks for itself.' His latest letter, published minutes after that response became public, hardens Israel's position by setting an unambiguous precondition for any diplomatic engagement.
The episode traces back to June 13, when The Zioneer first reported that Kallas had described Israel as an 'apartheid state' in closed meetings. The desk's initial report on June 13, based on a single diplomatic source, was followed by today's four-part sequence: Sa'ar's severance announcement at 11:25; two versions of Kallas's reply (the first emphasizing dialogue, then a fuller statement reiterating EU positions) both published at 13:23; a separate desk dispatch at 13:47 noting Kallas explicitly declined to apologize; and now Sa'ar's open letter shortly after 13:50. The source of the original remark remains the same single channel; no other newsroom has independently confirmed it as of this bulletin.
The wider diplomatic context — as The Zioneer reported in its June 13 bulletin — is an ongoing rift between Israel and the EU over settlements and the two-state paradigm, with Kallas's reported remark reviving a long-standing tension in which European officials have used the term 'apartheid' to characterize Israeli policy in Judea and Samaria.
The remark itself remains unverified beyond the initial single-source report. Sa'ar treats the published account as accurate — demanding a denial, not proof — while Kallas's replies have declined to either confirm or condemn the statement, leaving the factual status of the episode unresolved.
5 developments
- DevelopingSa'ar and EU foreign minister spar on X after she declares boycott of Israel
- DevelopingIsrael severs contact with EU foreign minister until she apologizes for 'apartheid' remark
- DevelopingEU Foreign Minister Kallas replies to Sa'ar: 'Dialogue is the basis of diplomacy'
- DevelopingEuropean Jewish leader accuses EU foreign policy chief of inciting antisemitism with 'apartheid' rhetoric
Source and signal
- Internal intake