Egypt lawmaker hits another with shoe over Israel meeting

In this photo provided by Egypt’s state news agency MENA, Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, addresses parliament in Cairo, Egypt, Saturday, Feb. 13, 2016. AP

CAIRO  — Egypt’s state-run news agency says an Egyptian lawmaker hit a fellow parliamentarian with his shoe over the latter’s meeting with the Israeli ambassador to Egypt.

The MENA agency says Sunday’s parliament session was adjourned for 10 minutes as the two lawmakers were kicked out.

Tawfiq Okasha, a popular TV talk show host and parliament member, has been engulfed in controversy since Thursday when Israeli ambassador Haim Korem posted a picture on the embassy’s Facebook page of the two of them meeting Wednesday evening.

Egypt has full diplomatic relations with Israel, but directly dealing with Israelis remains deeply taboo in Egyptian society.

Okasha’s meeting with Korem has been heavily discussed on public affairs shows, and MENA reports the parliament on Sunday decided to form a special committee to investigate Okasha’s visit. TVJ