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12/22/2024 06:01:39 pm

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Miss Universe Groupie Resurrects Old Middle Eastern Political Wounds

Miss Israel & Miss Lebanon

(Photo : Ynetnews.com) The photobombed photo of Miss Israel and Miss Lebanon, with Miss Japan and Miss Slovenia

A favorite reply of beauty contestants in the Question and Answer portion if they get the question on how they will perform their duties as an international beauty titlist is to be ambassadors of world peace.

However, that reply would be awkward if either Miss Lebanon Saly Greige or Miss Israel Doron Matalon, two of the contestants in the ongoing Miss Universe 2015 beauty pageant, would reach the semi-finals and draw that question.

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The two are bickering online over a groupie shot taken by Miss Israel which showed Matalon with Miss Japan and Miss Slovenia on her left and Greige on the left of Miss Slovenia, News.com.au reports.

Greige complained that the group shot was supposed to be the three of them only, but she claimed Matalon jumped in, took a groupie and posted that controversial photo in her Instagram account on January 11.

She added that she has been avoiding to have a photo together since the start of the beauty pageant in Miami, Florida, but claimed Matalon has been trying to have a shot of them together.

It appears the decades-long enmity between the two nations have reared its ugly head in the beauty pageant.

Israel occupied parts of Lebanon for more than two decades until the turn of the millennium and it fought the Hezbollah in Lebanon which resulted in the death of more than 1,200 Lebanese - mostly civilians - in 2006, while the casualty on Israel's part was only 600, most of whom were soldiers.

In response to Miss Lebanon's missive, Miss Israel wrote in her Instagram account, "It doesn't surprise me, but it still makes me sad. Too bad you cannot put the hostility out of the game, only three weeks of an experience of a lifetime that we can meet girls from around the world and also from the neighboring countries."

After Lebanese media published the rift, a social media war erupted as users criticized and defended Greige. Some netizens backed Miss Lebanon who sought the support of her countrymen, while others chided her for manifesting her hatred for Israel rather than allowing the pageant to ease the tensions between the two warring nations.

But the New York Post explains Miss Lebanon's actions to the outrage caused by the groupie because the country bans Lebanese from fraternizing with Israelis, thus, Greige is under threat of being disqualified by the organizers of the Miss Lebanon pageant.

And her fears are not unfounded because a predecessor, Miss Lebanon 1993 Ghada al-Turk was stripped of her title when organizers saw her photo with Miss Israel 1993. The picture was distributed by Agence France Press.

Lebanon has said it will initiate a probe and will decide if it will recall her from Miami this week. The agent of believes Matalon deliberately photobombed Miss Israel to disqualify Miss Lebanon from the pageant.


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