Israel's Knesset speaker, Avraham Burg, has decided to cancel Wednesday's emergency meeting to discuss the recent violent clashes in the West Bank and Gaza city, as well as confrontations between Israeli Arabs and Jews inside the Green Line, reported Haaretz newspaper.
Burg's decision, said the paper, was out of concern that the "deliberations would deteriorate into violence among the MKs."
Haaretz said that Burg justified his decision by explaining that heads of the large parties decided last week that should the disturbances continue this week, the meeting of the plenum would not be held.
Israeli Prime Minister, Ehud Barak, expressed his opposition to holding a special session of the Knesset while clashes were continuing, said the paper.
It added that Barak was concerned that the deliberations would slide into disruptive arguments that could damage the solidarity now needed.
Knesset member, Ofir Pines-Paz, welcomed the decision, and said that there was serious concern that the members of the parliament would resort to attacking each other physically as well as verbally during such a meeting, Haaretz added.
Burg has also cancelled a trip to Indonesia for an Inter-Parliamentary Union meeting for fear of violent opposition, according to AFP.
Indonesian Muslim groups have objected to Israel's planned participation in the conference in Jakarta, blaming the Jewish state for the bloodshed in the Middle East, said the agency.
The Indonesian Justice Party warned the presence of the Israeli delegates at the meeting, which opens Sunday could spark violence in the world's largest Muslim-populated country, said AFP.
"It should be kept in mind that in the matter of the use of catapults, Indonesians are much more adept than their brothers who are launching the Intifada in Palestine," it said.
Anti-Israeli sentiment has been on the rise in Indonesia, amid the violence in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, which has left around 100 people dead, mostly Palestinians, in 13 days - (Several Sources)
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