Irish PM calls Israel's Kallas snub 'provocation'

Israel has condemned EU foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas after leaked media reports quoted her likening Israel to South Africa's apartheid regime. The Israeli government slammed the comment as inflammatory and damaging to bilateral ties, escalating tensions between Israel and the European Union. Irish Prime Minister Micheál Martin had previously called Israel's decision to cease contact with Kallas 'another provocation' at the June EU leaders' summit in Brussels. The row threatens to further strain EU-Israel relations amid ongoing conflicts in the region.