A model from Palestine who accused Israel of committing genocide will be the first Palestinian to enter Miss Universe later this year.
Nadeen Ayoub, who was crowned Miss Palestine in 2022, will be attending the global beauty competition in November — a first for the territory. She has said she will use the platform to be “the voice of a people who refuse to be silenced”.
Ayoub, who lives in Ramallah in the West Bank but also has a home in Dubai, represented Palestine at the 2022 Miss Earth where she came third.
Speaking to The National, she said: “After Miss Earth, I was supposed [to] go to Miss Universe but I postponed it because I did not want to go when genocide was happening.
"I wanted to focus more on staying behind the scenes because the spotlight was supposed to be on the people in Palestine who are suffering, rather than me.”
“There hasn’t been another Miss Palestine since 2022, due to the genocide."
Ayoub also took to Instagram to say: “Today, I step onto the Miss Universe stage not just with a title but with a truth… I represent every Palestinian woman and child whose strength the world needs to see.
"We are more than our suffering — we are resilience, hope and the heartbeat of a homeland that lives on through us.”
The Miss Universe Organisation said it “proudly welcomes delegates from across the globe, celebrating diversity, cultural exchange and the empowerment of women”.
It continued: "Ms Ayoub, an accomplished advocate and model from Palestine, embodies the resilience and determination that define our platform.”
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