Sarah Idan, Iraq's 2017 Miss Universe beauty pageant contestant, is visiting Israel this week, a trip that has enraged people back home.
Idan was criticized and received death threats after taking a selfie with Israeli contestant Adar Gandelsman during last November's competition. Idan and her family eventually had to flee Iraq for fear for their lives over the photo.
She arrived in Israel this week and reunited with Gandelsman during a visit organized by the American Jewish Committee to "talk about peace."
Miss Iraq, who currently resides in the U.S., received the title in 2017 after the original winner was disqualified for being married.
Her appearance in Israel drew harsh criticism from Iraqis on social media. Iraq and Israel don't have diplomatic relations.
Despite criticism, Idan says she isn't afraid, and that she visited Israel "because I want peace for everyone, for Israelis, for Palestinians."
Idan and Gandelsman jointly addressed the American Jewish Committee's global forum held in Jerusalem on Wednesday.
"We became friends in less than 10 minutes," the Iraqi beauty queen told the crowd about her meeting with Gandelsman in Las Vegas last year. "All it took for us to feel connected was that we were both not concerned with the difference of our faith, beliefs and nationality."
Speaking of the death threats she continues to receive for her calls for peace in the Middle East, she said, "I traveled thousands of miles and put my life at risk not just to express how so many of us are tired of this endless war between our countries.
"My hope is I get to see my Jewish brothers and sisters roam freely from Jerusalem to Ramallah, to Babylon and to the Nile, and for my fellow Arabs and Muslims to walk through Israel without fear of having an Israel stamp in their passports."
Addressing the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in her remarks to the AJC, Idan said she hopes for "the Palestinians to not live in the fear of being displaced, to cross Tel Aviv beaches and pray at Al-Aqsa without complication." She urged "a new chapter for Israel and Palestine with less blood and more amity."
Ofir Gendelman, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's spokesman in Arabic, lauded Idan's visit. He retweeted several of the photos Idan posted, writing, "Friendly relations between Israelis & Arabs will definitely help in ushering in a better tomorrow for all of us in the Middle East."
