BORDER BRAWL AVERTED

TEL AVIV: A potentially violent showdown between Israeli and Jordanian parliamentarians at a border crossing on Wednesday was averted after the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Jordanian police intervened. Jordanian lawmaker Yahya Al-Saud challenged Oren Hazan of Netanyahu’s Likud party to a brawl at the Allenby Bridge border crossing after Hazan criticised Jordan on Twitter. Hazan accepted but shortly before the showdown Netanyahu’s chief of staff told him not to go. Jordanian police also did not let Al-Saud enter the crossing. – dpa