Gaza session in Parliament begins with tension: Dervişoğlu and Bahçeli do not shake hands

Following the United Nations' declaration of famine as a result of the ongoing attacks by the occupying Israel in Gaza, CHP Chairman Özgür Özel took action. Upon Özel's call, Parliament Speaker Numan Kurtulmuş convened the Assembly for an extraordinary session.

DERVİŞOĞLU AND BAHÇELİ SIDE BY SIDE

A scene that drew attention took place in the parliamentary rows during the Gaza session. As IYI Party Chairman Müsavat Dervişoğlu sat in his seat right next to the MHP rows, he greeted MHP leader Devlet Bahçeli with a nod. However, the fact that the two leaders did not shake hands led to comments about "cold winds" in the parliamentary lobbies.

HISTORY OF THE TENSION: THE IMRALI PROCESS AND THE NOOSE CRISIS

Relations between the two parties have been strained at times since the IYI Party was founded after splitting from the MHP. In particular, the Imralı Process initiated by Bahçeli was met with fierce opposition from Dervişoğlu. At that time, recalling how Bahçeli had symbolically thrown a noose into the Parliament years ago for the execution of Abdullah Öcalan, Dervişoğlu had thrown a noose at Bahçeli from the podium to protest the process. Bahçeli had responded by hanging that rope on a valet stand in his office.

THE HANDSHAKE DEBATE

Following that tense period, Dervişoğlu had shaken hands with Bahçeli, a gesture that drew criticism. He had also made headlines with his response to the criticism:

"I always shake hands with Mr. Bahçeli. I have no stance against shaking hands. But there are discussions that need to be held regarding the concept of 'extending a hand' in certain areas. When Süleyman Demirel shook Bülent Ecevit's hand at Anıtkabir, he said, 'Where else was I supposed to shake?' Do not make me give such an answer."

News Source: 12punto