Netanyahu calls off fistfight between Israeli, Jordanian lawmakers

Yahya Soud

JERUSALEM/AMMAN: Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stopped an Israeli lawmaker from taking on a Jordanian counterpart in a fist-fight on Wednesday over a diplomatic crisis between the two neighbors.
The July 23 shooting to death of two Jordanians by an Israeli Embassy guard who said he was acting in self-defense has outraged Amman, stirred up pro-Palestinian sentiment in the kingdom and prompted US mediation efforts.
Oren Hazan, a member of Netanyahu鈥檚 rightist Likud party, had tweeted on the day of the shooting that Jordanians 鈥渨ho we keep supplied with water and whose butts we defend day and night鈥� needed 鈥渞e-education.鈥�
His comments prompted a challenge from a similarly fiery lawmaker in Jordan. 鈥淟et him meet me, if he is a man,鈥� Yahya Soud said on Twitter.
They were due to square off against each other on Wednesday morning on the border.
As the appointed time neared, both men posted images of themselves on social media driving to the King Hussein/Allenby Bridge crossing between Jordan and the Israeli-occupied West Bank.
But Hazan鈥檚 journey was cut short after Netanyahu鈥檚 office ordered him to turn around. A statement from the prime minister鈥檚 office did not say why Netanyahu had stopped the fight from proceeding. There was no immediate comment from Jordan.
Hazan said on Twitter he was disappointed the encounter had not taken place. Soud told reporters he had been 鈥渟erious about going down to the bridge and busting this dirty man鈥檚 nose.鈥� Netanyahu stepped in, Soud said, because Israelis 鈥渃an鈥檛 face up to Jordanians.鈥�
In 1994, Jordan became the second of only two Arab countries to make peace with Israel.