A European Commission spokesman said Friday remarks made by EU Commission for Trade Karel De Gucht on the Jewish lobby in the US "are personal comments."
"The comments do not represent the well known position of the European Commission and of the EU Council regarding the Middle East peace process and the resumption of direct talks between Israel and the Palestinians," he said.
Answering a question from a journalist on the issue at the daily press briefing, EU Commission spokesman Olivier Bailly recalled that the EU position on this matter “has been clearly expressed by High Representative and Vice-President of the Commission Catherine Ashton over the past few months”.
He mentioned that Ashton on Thursday issued a statement welcoming the resumption of the Israeli-Palestinians talks.
In an interview with the Belgian Flemish public radio VRT about the Mideast peace process and the Washington talks, Karel De Gucht, one of the most senior officials in the European Union, expressed his skepticism, spoke about the power and influence of the Jewish lobby in the US and insinuated that Jews whether religious or secular are irrational when it comes to Israel and the Middle East.
The European Jewish Congress (EJC) expressed outrage at the "anti-Semitic" remarks and demanded an apology and a retraction from De Gucht.
This is part of a dangerous trend of incitement against Jews and Israel in Europe that needs to be stamped out immediately,” EJC President Moshe Kantor said in a statement.
Asked by a journalist how can a EU Commissioner make “personal comments that tend to be racist”, the Commission spokesperson said that Commissioners are foremost politicians. “They of course express the view of the Commission and sometimes they also express personal views”. “There is a difference between the two,” he said, repeating that De Gucht’s comments were “personal views”.
The spokesman declined however to say whether De Gucht would retract his comments as called by the European Jewish Congress. “This is up to Mister De Gucht,” he said.
Before becoming a member of the European Commission led by José Manuel Barroso earlier this year, Karel De Gucht was Foreign Minister of Belgium.