A German opposition politician who accused a Jewish leader of displaying arrogance that could fuel anti-Semitism has said the remark was a mistake.
The comment made by Juergen Moellemann, a deputy chairman of the Free Democratic Party, touched off a furore in Germany about the country's political direction.
Moellemann's public battle with German Jewish leaders is related to his strident criticism of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
Moellemann charged that Michel Friedman, a Jewish leader and sharp-tongued talk show host who challenged Moellemann's stand on Israel, had an "intolerant, spiteful style" and arrogance that could fuel anti-Semitism.
Moellemann today published a letter to the head of Germany's Jewish community, Paul Spiegel, acknowledging that the remark was a mistake.
"I should not have said that," Moellemann wrote. But, he insisted, "I will continue to defend myself emphatically against being described as an anti-Semite because of my unchanging critical stand toward Sharon."
Spiegel said he doubted Moellemann's sincerity and demanded a clearer retraction.
Those worried about the Free Democrats' image include former Foreign Minister Hans-Dietrich Genscher, who was Germany's top diplomat for more than two decades.
Genscher, in a television interview Wednesday, said the party must reject "the poison of prejudice." But he said Moellemann, who once worked for him at the Foreign Ministry, should not be branded an anti-Semite.
Germany's main opposition party, the Christian Democrats, made plain it still considers the Free Democrats a coalition partner if Germans vote out Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder's center-left government in September.