Controversy
In an interview with the Belgian Flemish public radio VRT about the Israeli-Palestinian peace process and the September 2010 Washington talks, De Gucht expressed his scepticism about the process stating:
"Do not underestimate the Jewish lobby on Capitol Hill. That is the best organised lobby, you shouldn't underestimate the grip it has on American politics – no matter whether it's Republicans or Democrats.
He continued
"Don't underestimate the opinion … of the average Jew outside Israel. There is indeed a belief – it's difficult to describe it otherwise – among most Jews that they are right. And a belief is something that's difficult to counter with rational arguments. And it's not so much whether these are religious Jews or not. Lay Jews also share the same belief that they are right. So it is not easy to have, even with moderate Jews, a rational discussion about what is actually happening in the Middle East. It's a very emotional issue."
The European Jewish Congress (EJC) expressed outrage, describing the remarks as antisemitic and demanding an apology and a retraction from De Gucht. De Gucht responded with the following statement:
"I gave an interview yesterday to the Flemish radio. I was also asked about the Middle East peace talks. I gave my personal point of view. I regret that the comments that I made have been interpreted in a sense that I did not intend. I did not mean in any possible way to cause offense or stigmatize the Jewish Community. I want to make clear that anti-Semitism has no place in today’s world and is fundamentally against our European values."
De Gucht's remarks made it on the list of the Simon Wiesenthal Center of the "2010 Top Ten Anti-Semitic Slurs".
Read more about this topic: Karel De Gucht
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