European Union foreign policy chief Kaja Kallas reportedly compared Israel’s treatment of Palestinians to South Africa’s former apartheid regime during a private discussion, according to a report by Euractiv cited by Middle East Eye. The remarks were said to have been made between May 20 and 22 during her visit to Mexico as part of a high-level EU delegation. The report noted that her private comments contrasted with her public stance on the issue.

Officials and diplomats present at the meeting said Kallas referred to her previous visit to South Africa and her experience at the Apartheid Museum. She drew parallels between Israel’s control over Palestinians in Gaza and the occupied West Bank and the racial segregation system that existed in South Africa from 1948 until the early 1990s.

The report added that such comparisons are not new, as the United Nations, the International Court of Justice, and several human rights organizations, researchers, and legal experts have previously described Israel’s dominance over Palestinians as a form of apartheid. Ireland and Spain have also made similar statements in the past regarding Israel’s actions in the occupied territories.