Likud MK Oren Hazan rebuffs criticism for taking a selfie with an unamused-looking Trump after he landed in Israel earlier today, insisting to media outlets that the US president “loved it.”
“Protocols are fine, but you can deviate from them,” Hazan, a politician with a reputation for inappropriate antics, tells Channel 10. “I presented myself nicely, and I told him that I’m nicknamed ‘the Israeli Trump,’ and he really loved it.”
“He even said ‘I wish there was more like us,'” says Hazan.
The scandal-dogged MK also dismisses Netanyahu’s apparent disapproval of his gesture, jokingly saying that perhaps the prime minister was upset that he was not invited to be in the picture.
US President Donald Trump poses for a selfie with MK Oren Hazan at Ben Gurion Airport on May 22, 2017. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s hand can be seen in the lower right-hand corner, in a failed attempt to deflect Hazan’s arm. (Oren Hazan)
Hazan at the welcoming ceremony pulled out his cellphone and took a selfie with the US president to Netanyahu’s horror, who attempted to lower Hazan’s arm and prevent the photo.
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