Last month, a firestorm of criticism was directed to Miss Universe Iraq Sara Idan for posting this selfie of herself on Instagram with Miss Universe Israel Adar Gandelsman:
Arabs criticized Idan for posing with Adar, saying it was an insult to Palestinians and "unacceptable normalization with the Israelis."
Idan answered that she was not trying to offend anyone but was trying to spread a message of peace.
Idan was the first contestant from Iraq in the pageant in decades.
In a new interview on Israeli TV, Gandelsman says that Idan's parents were threatened, not only for the selfie but also because their daughter pose in a swimsuit, and that her family was forced to flee the country because of death threats. She says they remain good friends and are in touch every day.
At 2:18 of the video you can see the pair hamming it up on a selfie video.
(h/t Yoel)