Dutch politician refuses to shake Israeli PM's hand

By Janene Pieters on September 7, 2016 - 12:45
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Tunahan Kuzu (Photo: Tunahan Kuzu/Facebook). (Tunahan Kuzu (Photo: Tunahan Kuzu/Facebook))

DENK parliamentarian Tunahan Kuzu refused to shake the outstretched hand of visiting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday. The former PvdA politician disagrees with the Israeli treatment of Palestinians in the region, NU.nl reports.

Netanyahu visited parliament in The Hague on Wednesday. He offered his hand to Kuzu, who refused to take it. The Israeli Prime Minister then turned his back on the parliamentarian.

According to the news site, Kuzu - wearing a button bearing the Palestinian flag - refused to give even the simple gesture of politeness because of Netanyahu's policies towards the Palestinians and Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory.

"Conversation with the Foreign Affairs Committee with Netanyahu over", Kuzu writes on Facebook. "While the streets of Gaza was reddened by blood that splashed out of the veins of children in the summer of 2014, the red carpet is rolled here. That deserves no handshake, but a reference to "

GroenLinks parliamentarian Rik Grashoff did not even attend the meeting with Netanyahu because Israel refuses to change the "disastrous policies on Palestinians", the MP said, according to NU. "More pressure on Israel and sanctions are needed."

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