InstagramUPDATE: The Miss Universe Organization has released a statement about the drama. Check it out below.
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Miss Universe drama! And this time, it's political...
There cannot be peace between two ladies at the upcoming 2014 pageant, set to take place next Sunday, until there is peace in the Middle East, apparently. Miss Lebanon, Saly Greige, 25, has come under fire over a group photo showing her smiling and standing next to Miss Israel, Doron Matalon, 21. People on social media and a TV station in her country have criticized her over the pic, which she claims was essentially a photo-bomb.
The picture, which also shows Miss Slovenia, Urška Bračko, and Miss Japan, Keiko Tsuji, who are both also 21, was posted on the latter beauty queen's Instagram page on Jan. 11.
"The truth behind the photo, since the first day of my arrival to participate to Miss universe, I was very cautious to avoid being in any photo or communication with Miss isreal, who tried several times to take a photo with me (sic)," Greige said on her own page on Saturday, alongside the same pic, with Matalon cropped out.
"I was having a photo with Miss Japan, Miss Slovenia, suddenly Miss Israel jumped in and took a selfie, and uploaded it on her social media," she continued. "This is what happened and I hope to have your full support in the Miss Universe contest."
In a Facebook message written in English, Miss Israel said Miss Lebanon's comments made her "sad."
"Not that it surprised me, but it's a shame that we can't put the hostilities aside, just for three weeks, during which we have a rare opportunity to meet girls from all around the world (also from neighboring countries), to hear about the different cultures and to experience this experience together," she wrote, in her native Hebrew.
The 88 Miss Universe contestants live together during the three weeks leading up to the pageant and attend events together.
"At an event with one of our charitable partners, Miss Universe Lebanon and Miss Universe Israel innocently ended up in an impromptu photo together, which was then posted on Instagram," the Miss Universe Organization said in a statement.
"The Miss Universe pageant has always been a celebration of different cultures, welcoming women from all around the globe. It provides an opportunity for the participants to see just how much they have in common. With 88 women from around the world coming together for the Miss Universe pageant, new friendships are forged and we hope that these relationships can make inroads for change in the future," the statement read. "It is unfortunate to know a photo of four smiling women from different parts of the world, working together at an event, could be misconstrued as anything other than what it is, a celebration of universal friendship, which the Miss Universe pageant is all about."
Israel, a Jewish State, and the neighboring country of Lebanon, home to a Muslim majority, have been at war for years. Cross-border violence has been sparse since 2006, when Israeli forces killed more than 1,200 people, according to the UN, and militants from the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah killed 160 Israelis, during a 34-day conflict in which militants continuously fired rockets into Israel.
On Sunday, an Israeli air strike in Syria killed a Hezbollah commander and several other members of the group, including the son of its late military leader who was implicated in attacks on Israeli and Western targets and was also wanted by the United States, Reuters reported.
Lebanese television station Al Jadeed said in a sarcastic report that since one of Miss Lebanon's hobbies is reading, she should have read that her country and Israel are enemies, NBC News reported. The Lebanese newspaper The Daily Star reported that Greige was "photobombed" and that several citizens had asked that "Greige be stripped from her title for mingling with the citizen of an enemy state."
Travel between Israel and Lebanon is strictly prohibited and carries the threat of jail time. In November, the U.S. State Department issued a travel warning about Lebanon, stating that American citizens who plan to visit the country must not have Israeli stamps or visas in their passports.
However, the Internet and especially social media have opened up lines of communication between the Israeli and Lebanese people...as seen in the comments section of both beauty queen's posts, which have spurred small political debates.
"As Lebanese, I dont think that taking a picture with Miss Israel is a big deal! (sic)" one person wrote on Matalon's Instagram page. "For God sakes this is a competition and not a war fight."
"Miss Lebanon, Saly Greige should not be in any trouble and the media (especially Lebanese media) needs to calm down," he added. "Without the media, I would have seen this picture as a positive thing for both countries, that they are taking a picture together despite whats happening back home."