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September 3, 2010

EU Commissioner apologizes for ‘irrational Jews’ remark

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The European Union’s trade chief apologized for saying that rational discussion about Israel was impossible with Jews and that the Jewish lobby is the most influential in Washington.

Karel De Gucht, a former Belgian foreign minister who is now the E.U.‘s Trade Commissioner, had been asked in a radio interview on Thursday for his opinion on renewed Israeli-Palestinian peace talks launched in Washington.

“That is the best organized lobby that exists there,” De Gucht was quoted by The Associated Press as telling VRT, a Dutch-language radio network. “There is, indeed, a religion, I can hardly describe it differently, among most Jews that they are right. So it is not easy to have a rational discussion with a moderate Jew about what is happening in the Middle East. It is a very emotional issue.”

The European Jewish Congress immediately blasted the remarks and said they were part of an increasing pattern of anti-Semitism.

“What sort of environment allows such remarks to be made openly by a senior politician?” said Moshe Kantor, the EJC president. “This is part of a dangerous trend of incitement against Jews and Israel in Europe that needs to be stamped out immediately.”

By Friday, De Gucht was apologizing. In a statement he said it was not his intention “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.”

The European Commission, a body of 27 commissioners from each of the E.U.‘s member nations, each handling a different policy area, distanced itself from De Gucht’s comments.

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It couldn’t be that the Jewish lobby is well-organized and that it’s leaders are irrational, especially when criticized.  No, no, no.  It’s them, they don’t like us.  Nobody likes you idiots, because you are idiots.  Add me to your list too.  I won’t even begin to go over the reasons.  There are so many, as to basically say it’s everything.  All you folks seem to have and respect is money.  Between that attitude and just how so many of you are, you are disgusting.  I used to be ashamed to be a Jew.  I no longer define myself as a Jew and now I’ll say anything I damn well please.  And if you like it then I know I must have said something wrong.  You are the cause of anti-Semitism!

Comment by theleviteline.com on 9/03/10 at 11:08 am

“There is ... a religion ... among most Jews that they are right.” Pesky Jews! How can they be right about Israel, when what they think is religious or in other words irrational. Not like the Europeans who do not operate under the influence of religious attitudes about Jews and Israel, or the Muslims who do not operate under the influence of religious attitudes about Jews and Israel, or the academic anti Zionists who do not operate under the influence of an ideological belief system about Jews and Israel.

Comment by Ben Plonie on 9/04/10 at 10:48 pm

I won’t say he should be removed, but I would ask him to state that the E.U. (not just Germany) has inherited responsibility for the holocaust.  I don’t necessarily mean criminal or financial responsibility so much as moral responsibility.  He needs top acknowledge that the E.U. needs to be very slow to criticize Israel even when it feels the criticism is justified.

Comment by Shlomo on 9/05/10 at 2:14 pm

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