Laas Leivat: Some handshakes are historic, others are short-term irritants

Handshakes usually convey a welcoming spirit, peaceful intentions. Images of public figures shaking hands translate to trustworthy intentions and good faith in making a promise.

One of the most regrettable historic handshakes was of British Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain’s pressing the flesh of German Chancellor Adolf Hitler, striking a 1938 deal in Munich. Chamberlain allowed the Nazi occupation of the Sudetenland in return for a separate peace between Germany and Britain.