Leaders of Germany’s liberal Free Democrats are seeking to distance themselves from the party’s state chairman in North Rhine-Westphalia following spiteful statements he made about Israel and the leader of Germany’s most-important Jewish group.

“I don’t think it’s very reasonable for someone to reintroduce this months-old debate back into the campaign,” FDP chairman and chancellor candidate Guido Westerwelle told a political talk show host on Wednesday, in an effort to distance himself from a renegade deputy.

Other senior FDP officials, including vice-chairman Walter Döring, parliamentary group leader Wolfgang Gerhardt and former Foreign Minister Klaus Kinkel, also took aim at Jürgen Möllemann over the state leader's latest outburst.

In a four-page campaign mailing sent out to thousands of voters in the state on Monday, Möllemann accused Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon of sending “tanks into refugee camps.” It was Möllemann's second such criticism in the past half year.

Earlier this year Möllemann attracted unwelcome headlines for his party after making anti-Israeli statements and then accusing Central Council of Jews vice president Michel Friedman of fueling anti-Semitism with his “intolerant, hateful style.”

The outburst caused the party to fall in public opinion polls. The FDP has since recovered slightly, but has never returned to the 12 percent margin it enjoyed in polls before the incident.

At an appearance on Monday, Möllemann renewed his attacks on Friedman, alleging the Council's deputy leader had labeled him an anti-Semite in order to silence his criticism of the Israelis.

Unnamed senior FDP officials have told news agencies that relations between Westerwelle, and Möllemann have soured, and that some party leaders are avoiding public appearances with Westerwelle’s deputy during the run-up to Sunday’s election. During a stump speech in Hanover on Wednesday, Westerwelle didn’t even enter the hall until Möllemann had completed his speech.

Mölleman: “It’s good, totally normal”

For his part, Möllemann sees nothing wrong with the flyer or any major damage to his relationship to party leader Westerwelle.

“The candidate flyer is something that every candidate does for himself,” he told the news agency DPA. And his relationship with Westerwelle? “It’s good, totally normal," he said.

But the flap has sparked renewed anger among German Jewish leaders, who are beginning to doubt the FDP is serious about dealing with their maverick deputy leader.

Earlier this summer, leaders of the Central Council and the FDP met to resolve the dispute over Mölleman’s statements. But in light of this week’s events, Council president Paul Spiegel said the pledges made then now appeared only to have been “a show.”

“Möllemann is working against every promise made by the FDP after our talks that he wouldn’t try to fish for votes in the right-wing milieu,” Spiegel said.

Gerhart Baum, Germany’s former interior minister and a Free Democrat himself, said on Thursday that Möllemann’s views do not represent those of his party. “Möllemann is driven by his personal obsession against Israel,” he said.

Meanwhile, German Foreign Minister Joschka Fischer, a Green, called on the FDP to sever ties with Möllemann. In a speech in Munich on Wednesday night, Fischer said the FDP deputy was seeking to attract anti-Semitic voters. “It’s too little for FDP leaders to just distance themselves," Fischer said. "The FDP shouldn’t be elected as long as Möllemann is a member of the party."