U.S. President Donald Trump's festive welcome ceremony at Ben-Gurion International Airport Monday was marred by an awkward moment, courtesy of Likud MK Oren Hazan, who crashed the reception and all but forced Trump to snap a selfie with him. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who was standing next to Trump, tried to stop Hazan by gently pushing his arm away, to no avail. A somewhat bewildered-looking Trump graciously agreed and the MK took the photo. The embarrassing moment was caught on camera and made headlines in Israel and around the world. Numerous TV commentators called the incident "a disgrace." The Washington Post reported that "a pushy Israeli parliament member pulled Trump aside and started taking a selfie in the receiving line." In Britain, The Sun -- mistakenly referring to Hazan as a minister -- headlined, "Awkward moment as humiliated Benjamin Netanyahu tries to stop awestruck Israeli minister taking a selfie with Donald Trump." The Prime Minister's Office blasted Hazan for breaching protocol. A statement by the Foreign Ministry stressed that "only members of the order of precedence, that is, Israel's top officials, were invited to shake hands with the president. Unfortunately, several individuals who were not on the list crashed the receiving line and refused to leave, despite requests by Foreign Ministry personnel." Likud officials said Hazan had "caused a great embarrassment to Netanyahu." Hazan is no stranger to controversy. In 2015, he was suspended from his position as deputy Knesset speaker after a televised report accused him of involvement in pimping and drugs. He was also suspended for one month from any parliamentary activity for insulting and humiliating a disabled MK. The lawmaker, who seemed oblivious to the diplomatic faux pas, posted the selfie to his Facebook page, where it received 17,000 "likes." On Twitter, he captioned the photo, "Thank you, Mr. President, it was my pleasure!" Commenting on the controversy, Hazan told reporters that it was "fine for an MK like me to stray from protocol a little. I introduced myself to the president, and I told him some people call me the 'Israeli Donald Trump.' He seemed to like it, and even said, 'I wish there were more of us.' Despite all the criticism, the Israeli public loved it. As for whether or not I was invited [to the reception] -- I got a selfie with President Trump. It was for me, and I think for him also, a historic moment." Walking down the red carpet after landing in Israel, the U.S. president was greeted by dignitaries exhibiting the forwardness and informality for which Israelis are known. Habayit Hayehudi leader Naftali Bennett, who shook hands with Trump on the receiving line, took the opportunity to insist the United States should recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Trump had promised to move the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem during his election campaign, but since taking office the administration has consistently said the issue needs more study. His response to Bennett was a curt "That's a good one."
