Miss Lebanon’s selfie with Miss Israel sparks uproar

BEIRUT: A selfie showing Miss Lebanon Saly Greige posing next to Miss Israel Doron Matalon, a wide smile on their faces, caused uproar in Lebanon as the hashtag “Two words for Miss Lebanon” trended over the weekend.

Greige defended herself against accusations that she posed for a selfie with Miss Israel during the Miss Universe contest currently being held in Miami, saying Matalon photobombed the picture.

“You could have avoided mingling with the Israeli contestant like previous Lebanese contestants have done throughout the years. And if you were harassed like you say, you could have at least avoided the huge smile [we see] on your face,” one Twitter user wrote.

Photos showing Greige surrounded by the beauty queens of Israel, Slovenia and Japan that circulated on social media did not go unnoticed in Lebanon, with some demanding that Greige be stripped from her title for mingling with the citizen of an enemy state. Lebanon and Israel are enemy states and any contact with the Jewish state is illegal in Lebanon.

According to El-Nashra fan entertainment website, Greige defended herself on social media, saying Matalon photobombed a picture she was taking with Miss Slovenia and Miss Japan and later on posted it on social media.

“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,” Greige wrote. “While I was preparing with Miss Slovenia 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.

“This is what happened,” she added. “I hope you continue supporting me.”

Over the weekend, the hashtag “Two words for Miss Lebanon” [Kalima li Malikat Jamal Lubnan] trended as thousands commented on the photos.

But not all of the comments were critical of Greige, with one twitter user saying “the beautiful ones take selfies and the trolls start hashtags.” Another user was very concise stating: “Kick her out,” in reference to Greige.

In 1993, Miss Lebanon Huda al-Turk was stripped of her title for posing with a picture with Miss Israel at the time.

Tourism Minister Michel Pharaon said he would launch a probe into the Greige polemic Monday.