FAZ: Kaja Kallas Isolated in Brussels After Sharp Remarks
EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas faces isolation from both Israel and the EU after allegedly comparing Israel to apartheid. Several EU leaders criticized her remarks, and the European Commission's handling of the situation has raised eyebrows.
According to Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Vice-President of the European Commission Kaja Kallas has found herself isolated in Brussels following her controversial statements. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar announced that Israel is cutting all contacts with Kallas after she allegedly compared Israel to the apartheid regime in South Africa. The comments were reportedly made during a closed meeting with Mexican government officials in late May in Mexico City.
German Chancellor Friedrich Merz, when asked about Kallas's words, said, "I do not share such choice of words." Austrian Chancellor Christian Stocker added, "If it really happened, it is unacceptable." Kallas herself refused to comment on what she said behind closed doors, which Israel interprets as an admission of the remarks.
FAZ notes that the situation escalated after last week's European Council meeting. Within the EU, there is visible disunity: the European Commission sent Commissioner Dubravka Šuica to Israel, where she met with Sa'ar and President Isaac Herzog, before traveling to Ramallah. Šuica made no public mention of Kallas, even though her visit also covered issues falling under Kallas's portfolio, such as extending the EU mission at the Rafah border crossing. Diplomats suggest this creates the impression that the Commission wants to show it can conduct foreign policy without Kallas.
