BRUSSELS (EJP)--- A visit of a European parliament delegation to Israel has been postponed by the EU body after the Israeli authorities expressed concern about the presence of an extreme-right MEP, EJP has learned.

The 16-member delegation from various political groups within the European Parliament was scheduled to travel on Saturday to the Middle East, including Israel, for a weeklong visit.

But the trip was thrown into disarray after Israeli authorities made it clear that they would not meet with Marine Le Pen, French extreme-right MEP and daughter of Jean-Marie Le Pen, the Front National (National Front) party leader.

In a letter to the European Parliament, Israel’s foreign ministry stressed the “sensitivities” regarding contacts with representatives of the extreme-right parties in Europe, a source at Israel’s embassy to the EU in Brussels told EJP. “We made things very clear that the composition of the delegation which includes a person coming from a party whose ranks are linked to anti-Semitism and Holocaust deniers made it very, very difficult for us”.

Marine Le Pen is a “non-attached” member of the European Parliament.

At their weekly meeting on Thursday, the presidents of the European Parliament political groups decided to postpone the visit – officially for “technical reasons linked to the programme” - after trying to find an acceptable solutions for all sides.

Israeli sources said they could hardly imagine Marine Le Pen at the Yad Vashem Holocaust Memorial in Jerusalem while her father, to whom she is close, has made anti-Semitic statements.

An Israeli diplomat told EJP that it is now up to the European Parliament to find a new composition for its delegation. “Maybe a more limited delegation would be a solution, he said.

The delegation was scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime minister Ehud Olmert, foreign minister Tzipi Livni and defence minister Amir Peretz.

According to a European Parliament official, there was concern on the Parliament’s side that a government should not be allowed to dictate the composition of the group.

Earlier this month, the Parliament cancelled the visit of a delegation to Turkey because the Turkish authorities objected to the presence of Cypriot MEP Marios Matsakis in the delegation.

While some members of the delegation deplored the cancellation of the Mideast trip, fearing it would give a platform to the French extreme right party, the Front national deputy Bruno Gollnisch praised the EU body for taking the decision to postpone the visit “rather than let a government dictate its makeup”.