BRUSSELS — The European Union’s chief trade negotiator was accused on Friday of “outrageous anti-Semitism” after comments made in an interview about Israel’s role in Middle East peace talks.

Karel De Gucht, the European commissioner for trade, told a radio station in his native Belgium that the “average Jew” had a belief that they are right, which was “difficult to counter with rational arguments.”

“It’s not so much whether these are religious Jews or not,” Mr. De Gucht argued on VRT radio. “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.”

Mr. De Gucht also said the Jewish community wielded its influence in the United States. “Don’t underestimate the power of the Jewish lobby on Capitol Hill,” he added. “That is the best organized lobby, you shouldn’t underestimate the grip it has on American politics — no matter whether it’s Republicans or Democrats.”