Israel's foreign minister said Thursday he was severing all contact with the European Union's top diplomat over reported remarks in which she allegedly compared Israel to apartheid-era South Africa. Diplomatic relations between Israel and the EU have come under heavy strain since the Gaza war erupted in October 2023, with violence by Israeli settlers towards Palestinians in the occupied West Bank another point of contention. On Thursday, Israel's Gideon Saar accused EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas of "acting obsessively and with blatant unfairness" towards his country.