Member of Knesset Oren Hazan (Likud) has receives harsh criticism from Foreign Ministry officials following his visit to Bulgaria where he met with a politician who is defined as an anti-Semite and a Holocaust denier, according to Yisrael Hayom. The newspaper quoted sources in the Foreign Ministry as saying that "MK Hazan traveled on his own initiative. 'made appointments without coordinating anything with us or the embassy. Thus, he met with an extreme right-wing leader, an anti-Semite, a Holocaust denier, a meeting that is totally unacceptable." Saying that Bulgaria perceives Hazan as a member of the government's party, it said the meeting caused damage.
Saying, "The visit was coordinated with the Knesset Ethics Committee," Hazan responded, "I held many meetings that opened doors and strengthened ties between Israel and Bulgaria and even initiated the move of the Bulgarian Embassy to Jerusalem." Hazan said the anti-Semite apologized to him but "I told him that he had to do it publicly."