Miss Universe 2015 Controversy: Miss Israel Photobombs Miss Lebanon, Controversial Selfie Causes Uproar

Miss Universe pageant never goes without controversy, and this year, it's all about a simple selfie between Miss Israel Doron Matalon and Miss Lebanon Saly Greige. Representing Lebanon, a country that has been at war with Israel since 2006, Greige claims Matalon "photobombed" her while having a photo with Miss Japan and Miss Slovenia.

The Miss Universe controversy started when Miss Israel posted a photo of herself alongside Miss Lebanon and two contestants from Slovenia and Japan on her Instagram account. The controversial selfie caused an uproar in Lebanon that has a strict law of forbidding its citizens from associating with Israelis. Thanks to the selfie snap with Miss Israel, Greige could lose her crown before the pageant.

"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 Israel ([who] tried several times to have a photo with me)," the 25-year-old beauty queen, who begged her fans to continue their support in spite the photo scandal, posted on her FB page. "I was having a photo with Miss Japan, Miss Slovenia and myself; suddenly Miss Israel jumped in, took a selfie, and put it on her social media."

In her defence, Miss Israel responded to the controversy and admitted she was not surprised about the reaction but was still sad that Miss Lebanon could not "put the hostility out of the game." She wrote her message in both Hebrew and English, and posted the same with a link to an article about the controversy on her Facebook account.

Meanwhile, the Lebanese government has vowed to investigate the real truth about the Miss Universe controversy. The verdict on Miss Lebanon's future in the 2015 Miss Universe, whether she will proceed to the pageant or she will lose her crown, will be decided this week, according to New York Post.

Greige is not the first Miss Lebanon who got involved with Miss Israel during a Miss Universe pageant. In 1993, Miss Lebanon Ghada al-Turk was stripped off of her crown when she was photographed smiling arm-in-arm with Miss Israel Jana Khodirker.

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