“She ignored me”: Miss ‘Israel’ recalls encounter with Miss Palestine in beauty pageant

In a recent interview, Miss ‘Israel’ Melanie Shiraz detailed her interactions with Miss Palestine Nadeen Ayoub during the 74th Miss Universe competition last November in Thailand.

Shiraz, who represented ‘Israel' in the Miss Universe pageant, said that her primary focus upon being selected was to deal with the inclusion of a Palestinian delegate for the first time in the event's history.

"From day one after I got chosen, that was my main focus," Shiraz stated.

She added that she considered it an "interesting opportunity." However, she accused Ayoub of using her platform to disseminate what Shiraz claimed was "heinous misinformation about Israel."

Among the claims Shiraz highlighted were Ayoub's statements labeling Tel Aviv, Jaffa, and Jerusalem as part of Palestine.

"If she doesn't see my identity as one that should exist, or my country as one that should exist, clearly there's not really going to be room for much productive dialogue," Shiraz remarked.

The interactions escalated during the competition itself. Three days into the event, the contestants were positioned next to each other, with Shiraz standing behind Ayoub, leading to a viral moment.

A clip circulated widely, purporting to show Shiraz glaring at Ayoub, which sparked significant online uproar.

Shiraz critiqued the Miss Universe organization's decisions, claiming that the inclusion of a "Miss Palestine" is political, as she claims that it is “having a delegate from a country that doesn't exist”.

On the first day, Shiraz recalls Ayoub reportedly ignoring her entirely, even after a greeting.

"So the first day that we were in the competition, I saw her. She ignored me entirely. I said 'good morning' and kept walking.

“And then one time I was in an elevator by myself and she walked in... and she stayed quiet until I engaged her in small talk. That was it,” Shiraz said.

"Cultural War"

In the interview with JNS, Shiraz frames her experience as part of a larger “cultural war” that ‘Israel’ is losing due to its assault on the Gaza Strip.

She argues that cultural platforms like Miss Universe are critical battlegrounds for public opinion, and further claims that ‘Israel's’ enemies understand this and invest heavily in sophisticated, well-funded campaigns to demonize ‘Israel’.

"We think that the war ends on the ground, but we don't realize that the bigger war is being lost... It's not even that we're trying to fight it and we're losing, we're not even there. It's an empty battlefield."