Miss Lebanon and Miss Israel selfie controversy fuels up

The backlash on social media has been so severe that many people have called for Miss Lebanon’s title to be revoked.

Who would’ve thought that something as basic as a selfie at an international beauty pageant can reignite the political frictions within the Middle East. Two contestants at the beauty pageant, Miss Israel and Miss Lebanon, have already spoken up regarding the controversy regarding their selfie but it seems that the dust will not settle so easily.

The backlash on the social media has been so severe that many people have called for Greige’s title to be revoked after she fraternised with a citizen of Israel, reported Al-Arabiya News.

Defending her actions Greige said on the social media that Miss Israel, Doron Matalon had made repeated attempts to take a picture with her and had effectively photo-bombed the selfie in question.

“From the first day I arrived at the Miss Universe pageant I was very careful not to take any pictures with Miss Israel, who tried repeatedly to take pictures with me,” she said, stated the el-Nashra fan entertainment website.

She further added, “While I was preparing with Miss Slovania and Miss Japan to get our photograph taken, Miss Israel jumped in and took a selfie with her phone and posted it on social media.”

After proclaiming her innocence by explaining the whole incident she said that she hoped her fellow countrymen would support her in the Miss Universe contest.

Miss Israel issued a contradictory statement during an interview with NBC Today stating that she had not photo-bombed her Lebanese counterpart and that it was not  a “surprise”.

“I hope for change, and I hope for peace between us; even just for three weeks, even just between me and her,” Matalon said. “That’s what we need to remember: we represent the country and the people, not the government and not the political issues.”

Several news outlets have gone on to describe the selfie in question as a scandal after pictures surfacing on the internet, which showed Miss Lebanon posing with Miss Israel created a furor online.

The photo that has been circulated online shows Lebanon’s Saly Greige surrounded by the beauty queens of Israel, Slovenia and Japan something which has not been well-received in her homeland. The political tension between Lebanon and Israel has been well-documented with any contact with Israelis being considered illegal in the country.

The political tension between the two nations had reached a tipping point in 2006 when Israel engaged in a war against Lebanon’s Hezbollah. The war claimed the lives of more than 1200 people in Lebanon most of whom were civilians whereas 160 Israelis, mainly soldiers were killed.

Donald Trump, who owns the Miss Universe beauty pageant, reportedly told NBC he hopes the controversy doesn’t affect the contestants’ chances at the contest.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 26^th,  2015.

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