Brussels 12.06.2026 A prominent European cleric Rabbi Menachem Margolin, Chairman of the European Jewish Association (EJA), which advocates for and represents hundreds of Jewish communities across the continent, was scathing of comments attributed to the top EU diplomat Kaja Kallas (pictured). During high-level talks in Mexico City the High Representative compared Israel’s treatment of Palestinians to South Africa’s apartheid era.
🚨 EXCLUSIVE: EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas compared Israel to apartheid-era South Africa during high-level talks in Mexico – breaking ranks with the EU's official diplomatic line.
This is bigger than a slip of the tongue. Here's why it matters. 🧵 1/6
— Euractiv (@Euractiv) June 12, 2026
Rabbi Margolin said Kallas’ comments are “fuelling the antisemitism fire in Europe.”
Rabbi Margolin issued the following statement:
“We had hoped that such blatantly false language was in the past, buried deep along with the dubious legacy of Josep Borrell. It is a pity that after such a promising start, the High Representative is reverting to her predecessor’s type.
EJA Chairman @MargolinRabbi Menachem Margolin's remarks following comments made by the EU High Representative during her visit to Mexico, in which she compared Israel to apartheid-era South Africa.
“We had hoped that such blatantly false language was in the past, buried deep…
— EJA – EIPA (@EJAssociation) June 12, 2026
“Apartheid, just like genocide, is a very important word. It carries weight and is pregnant with emotional and historical meaning. To use it in such a context diminishes it. It is an absolute falsehood: there is absolutely nothing that even resembles apartheid in Israel. It also plays directly into the hands of those that are responsible for the antisemitism crisis that is plaguing the continent and making life so incredibly difficult for European Jewry.
“The High Representative should know that Jewish activists played a disproportionately large role in the South African anti-apartheid movement. Driven by a cultural history of persecution, many risked their lives, imprisonment, and exile to fight the regime as lawyers, underground operatives, and political leaders.
🔴 Kaja Kallas assimile Israël à un régime d’"apartheid"https://t.co/yx06OkTiES
— i24NEWS Français (@i24NEWS_FR) June 12, 2026
“Kaja Kallas, through her words, is directly adding fuel to the antisemitic fire. The EJA urges Foreign Ministers to recognise this danger, and to distance themselves from her remarks.”
