Latest update:23 November 2025 at 7:26 PM IST

Miss Israel Melanie Shiraz called on Miss Palestine Nadine Ayoub to lose her place among the top 30 Miss Universe, due to her alleged terrorist links to Marwan Barghouti.

Miss Israel accused her Palestinian rival of hiding “terrorist ties” after reports linking her to Marwan Barghouti’s family.

Miss Israel called for Miss Palestine to be stripped of her ranking among the top 30 beauty queens in the Miss Universe contest after reports claimed that the contestant was married to the son of Marwan Barghouti, whom his supporters often describe as the “Palestinian Mandela” but whom the Israeli government classifies as a terrorist.

Melanie Shiraz (27 years old) said that her rival Nadine Ayoub’s marriage to Barghouti’s son made her “creepy” because of what she called the family’s alleged “terrorist links.” Ayoub is the first ever “Miss Palestine” contestant in the competition.

Marwan Barghouti is a prominent Palestinian political figure from Kobar, near Ramallah. A former rising leader in Fatah, he became known during the Second Intifada and expressed his support for the two-state solution. In 2004, Israel convicted him of organizing deadly attacks and sentenced him to five life sentences plus 40 years. He is still detained in an Israeli prison. Barghouti refused to acknowledge the court’s jurisdiction, refused to present a defence, insisted on his innocence, and described the trial as illegitimate.

“Miss Universe should not condone fraud, violation of the code of conduct or terrorism. I expect them to take corrective action,” Shiraz said, referring to her competitor’s family ties.

Shiraz added that she did not want to “serve as the ethical CEO of Miss Universe,” saying the organization should make its own decisions. She also said she received death threats after a video went viral showing her giving what appeared to be a side eye to Miss Palestine.

“It makes my skin crawl to think we’ve been in the same room so many times,” she said. “It’s shocking that we shared the stage with someone with serious terrorist ties.”

Shiraz denied giving Ayoub a side eye, saying she was simply looking towards the other contestants entering the stage. “Adding dramatic language to ordinary moments, especially when you misrepresent people, does not promote kindness or fairness,” she said. “I hope you reconsider before choosing to spread yourself thin at the expense of others.”

She said to New York Post I tried to make small talk with Ayoub twice during the competition but was ignored both times. She said: “I smiled at her the first day at breakfast and it was very clear that she wasn’t going to get along with me. We were also in the lift, just us, and she just stood there quietly. It was very cruel and embarrassing.”

Shankianil Sarkar

Shankianil Sarkar is Sub-Editor at News18. It covers international affairs, focusing on breaking news and in-depth analysis. He has more than seven years of experience during which he covered many…Read more

Shankianil Sarkar is Sub-Editor at News18. It covers international affairs, focusing on breaking news and in-depth analysis. He has more than seven years of experience during which he covered many… Read more

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