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European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen is facing down a possible rebellion from inside her ranks following an anti-Israel stunt pulled by one of her Brussels rivals.
The actions of EU Foreign Affairs head, Kaja Kallas, have sparked infighting inside this week’s European Council following her decision to describe Israel’s actions in Palestine as constituting an Apartheid regime.
While Kallas had been set to be fired over her perceived poor performance during her tenure, local media is reporting that her popularity is now rapidly rising thanks to the stunt, with multiple left-wing and anti-Israel politicians explicitly backing her.
Amongst them are Irish MEPs in the city, with Fianna Fáil’s Barry Andrews voicing support for the embattled EU official on social media.
“I stand with Kaja Kallas,” he wrote in response to an Israeli official’s claim Kallas’ comments amounted to “blood libel”.
“Israeli rule over the Palestinians is apartheid,” he added.
According to reports from Euractiv, Kallas’ ‘apartheid’ claims have further enraged the EU’s German faction, with Chancellor Friedrich Merz publicly blasting the chief diplomat on the doorstep of Thursday’s European Council meeting.
“I explicitly do not share this choice of words,” he told reporters, adding that EU leaders would “indeed have to discuss this”.
Von der Leyen herself has yet to comment on the matter, despite a growing perception that she may be working with French and German officials to oust Kallas and seize control of her powers for her own office.
“Paris, Berlin and other capitals are weighing options that include stripping powers from the bloc’s chief diplomat Kaja Kallas and her €1bn-a-year External Action Service (EEAS) and returning them to the European Commission and member states,” a report from the Financial Times last week reads.
The Council meeting is set to conclude on Friday, June 19.
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