Selfie sensation: Divisive Israeli MK's shameless snap with Trump

Oren Hazan sees golden opportunity on the red carpet.

MK Oren Hazan (Likud) snaps a selfie with visiting President Donald Trump upon his arrival in Israel, May 22, 2017 (photo credit: TWITTER)
MK Oren Hazan (Likud) snaps a selfie with visiting President Donald Trump upon his arrival in Israel, May 22, 2017
(photo credit: TWITTER)
It’s the natural reaction any young person has in a momentous occasion these days: Take a selfie. And that is exactly what scandal-plagued MK Oren Hazan (Likud) did when he met President Donald Trump on the tarmac at Ben-Gurion Airport Monday.
Hazan whipped out his phone, and seemed to struggle for a few seconds in taking the photo with Trump, and then Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pushed Hazan’s hand away, so he could continue walking with the US President down the receiving line.

Despite Netanyahu’s best efforts, Hazan got the selfie, posting it on Facebook and twitter with the caption “Thank you Mr. President – It was my pleasure!” and a smiling emoji. The photo quickly went viral online.

On Facebook, viewers tagged the photo in various ways, calling the duo “Dumb and Dumber,” “Bert and Ernie,” and “Hail Hydra.”
In the morning, Hazan tweeted: “Mr. President, welcome to Israel! I’m expecting your call, we have some issues to discuss about.” (sic)
Hazan has been a longtime fan of Trump, even before he won the Republican primary. Trump is also the only person Hazan follows on twitter.
In an interview with The Jerusalem Post last year, Hazan said he is like Trump because: “The politicians and media laughed at him and made him into a clown. But in the end, the people are voting for him because he says what they think out loud.
Hazan is a controversial figure in the Knesset, who used to run a casino in Bulgaria and has reportedly procured prostitutes for its patrons and used crystal meth, claims which a court found defensible when the MK sued the Channel 2 reporter who made them. He’s also come under fire for mocking a disabled lawmaker. Hazan was stripped of his duties as a deputy Knesset speaker, but remains a lawmaker.

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