diff --git a/support/dependencies/check-host-python2.mk b/support/dependencies/check-host-python2.mk
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..5bc2986
--- /dev/null
+++ b/support/dependencies/check-host-python2.mk
@@ -0,0 +1,18 @@
+PYTHON2 = $(call suitable-host-package,python2,$(HOST_DIR)/usr/bin/python)
+
+ifeq ($(PYTHON2),)
+host-python2-if-needed: host-python
+else
+host-python2-if-needed: $(HOST_DIR)/usr/bin/python
+# Create the python symlink once for all at the beginning of the build.
+DEPENDENCIES_HOST_PREREQ += host-python2-symlink
+endif
+
+# host-python install rules override the symlink created here.
+# So, there is no need to patch the python package to remove the symlink
+# before installing itself.
+host-python2-symlink:
+	@mkdir -p $(HOST_DIR)/usr/bin
+	test -x "$(HOST_DIR)/usr/bin/python" -a \
+		"$(PYTHON2)" = "$(HOST_DIR)/usr/bin/python" || \
+		$(HOSTLN) -sf "$(PYTHON2)" "$(HOST_DIR)/usr/bin/python"
diff --git a/support/dependencies/check-host-python2.sh b/support/dependencies/check-host-python2.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..a340674
--- /dev/null
+++ b/support/dependencies/check-host-python2.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,13 @@
+#!/bin/sh
+
+candidates="${@} python python2"
+
+for candidate in ${candidates} ; do
+  which "${candidate}" &>/dev/null || continue
+  # restrict version of python2 to 2.6 or 2.7
+  if "${candidate}" --version 2>&1 | grep -q 'Python 2\.[6-7]\..*' ; then
+    # found a valid candidate, so quit now
+    echo $(which "${candidate}")
+    exit
+  fi
+done
diff --git a/support/dependencies/dependencies.sh b/support/dependencies/dependencies.sh
index eb5a481..1427ce3 100755
--- a/support/dependencies/dependencies.sh
+++ b/support/dependencies/dependencies.sh
@@ -131,7 +131,7 @@ if ! $SHELL --version 2>&1 | grep -q '^GNU bash'; then
 fi;
 
 # Check that a few mandatory programs are installed
-for prog in awk bison flex msgfmt makeinfo patch gzip bzip2 perl tar wget cpio python unzip rsync ${DL_TOOLS} ; do
+for prog in awk bison flex msgfmt makeinfo patch gzip bzip2 perl tar wget cpio unzip rsync ${DL_TOOLS} ; do
     if ! which $prog > /dev/null ; then
 	/bin/echo -e "\nYou must install '$prog' on your build machine";
 	if test $prog = "makeinfo" ; then