Not since former Iranian president Mohammad Khatami shook hands with the former Israeli president Moshe Katsav at Pope John Paul II’s funeral in Rome in 2005 has a handshake attracted so much attention.
Following the end of the Christmas mass at Bkirki, FPM leader General Michel Aoun shook hands with Patriarch Nasrallah Sfeir and those standing next to him including Lebanese Forces leader Samir Geagea . The event attracted a lot of attention by the media .
The question is will this handshake result in the same backlash as the famous Khatami – Katsav handshake ? Both the Iranians and Israelis blasted their leaders for committing such a “crime” and Khatami in the end had to deny ever shaking hands calling the news another Zionist propaganda.