EU Foreign Minister compares Judea and Samaria to Crimea, Israel outraged

EU Foreign Minister Kaja Kallas, in an interview with the Irish Times, compared Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria to Russia-annexed Crimea and advocated for a trade embargo. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar called the comparison devoid of factual and legal basis and completely unacceptable.

The European Union's foreign policy chief, Kaja Kallas, in an interview with the Irish Times, compared Israeli settlements in Judea and Samaria to the Crimean Peninsula, annexed by Russia in 2014. She stated that the European Union should treat 'illegal Israeli settlements' in the West Bank similarly to how it treats Crimea, and that a ban on trade with the 'occupied territories' would be a principled step. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa'ar reacted sharply, writing that the comparison 'lacks any factual or legal basis and is completely unacceptable.' He emphasized that Judea and Samaria never belonged to a Palestinian state, which has never existed. The article presents facts in a neutral, informational tone, without evaluative language from the author.