Politics threatens to outdo pomp as Israel hosts Miss Universe contest

The sparkling Red Sea has some competition this weekend.

A sea of 80 women, vying for the glittering Miss Universe crown, has taken over the southern Israeli resort of Eilat in all their stilettos and sequins.

Miss Universe pageant begins amid controversy

On arrival, the venue – Eilat’s harbor – doesn’t seem nearly as glamorous as the women inside. But walk into the purpose-built 4,000-seat stage, imported from Portugal, and the atmosphere changes quickly.

On the Friday before the Sunday evening competition, the participants started the day with dress rehearsals, first in their sequined opening outfits, then in their swimwear and finally in their evening gowns. They rush between the figure-eight stage and the empty seats strewn with blankets to keep them warm between rehearsals, many with platform shoes in one hand and a mask in the other.

Later in the evening they take part in the preliminary “National Costume” event, with costumes ranging from a shiny Canadian Mountie with black lace pants and knee-high boots (“she’ll be sure to keep us secure”, the host croons) to a moon dragon, full of two dragon heads.

But as the women try to take the spotlight off the pageant stage in the preliminaries ahead of Sunday’s main event, politics and the coronavirus are pushing them into a different kind of spotlight.

A crown from the Covid era

Sunday’s contest is the second Covid-era Miss Universe. Initially, Israel’s borders would be open to immunized tourists ahead of the main event, meaning thousands of superfans around the world would have the chance to attend.

But when news of the Omicron variant surfaced, the Israeli government quickly closed its borders to foreigners two weeks before the match, adding to the complications.

Miss Universe contestants will arrive at Israel’s Ben Gurion Airport in Lod, east of Tel Aviv, on November 28, 2021. Credit: Ahmad Gharabli/AFP/Getty Images

One contestant, Miss France, Clemence Botino, tested positive for Covid-19 when she landed in the country and was sent to a hotel quarantine – threatening her participation. Fortunately, she got out just in time for Friday’s qualifying round.

“This year in Israel added new challenges as we had to stay on top of which vaccines would be accepted, the travel and quarantine days,” said Miss Universe communications director Meg Omecene.

All employees and participants had to be fully vaccinated within six months to be able to attend. They are also field tested every 48 hours in a special tent and must wear masks at all times when not on stage.

“It’s been a pretty rigorous Covid production, but we’re all here and getting excited for Sunday,” Omecene added.

Miss USA, Elle Smith, told DailyExpertNews she finds Israel’s Covid measures here much stricter than in the United States regarding protocol, so I feel we are taking the necessary precautions to host an event like this. to hold.

Elle Smith from the United States takes part in the National Costume portion of the Miss Universe pageant in Eilat, Israel, on Friday. Credit: Ariel Schalit/AP

Politics threatens to surpass the pomp

As with previous international events hosted in Israel, such as the 2019 Eurovision Song Contest, the fact that such a major media event is taking place in the country has drawn criticism and calls for boycotts.

The South African government withdrew its support and called on Miss South Africa, Lelela Mswane, to stop, citing Israel’s treatment of Palestinians and calling it “apartheid,” an accusation Israel has vehemently denied.

“By withdrawing, Miss South Africa’s reputation and overall status in South Africa and internationally will be much more advanced compared to a one-off event that could spell disaster for her future and public status as a young black woman,” De Zuid African sports, arts and culture minister Nathi Mthethwa said in a statement last month.

People protest in front of Miss South Africa headquarters on November 19, 2021 in Johannesburg, South Africa. Credit: Alet Pretorius/Gallo Images/Getty Images

But Mswane – with the support of the Miss South Africa organization – did not give in to the pressure and chose to travel to Israel and participate.

“If I hadn’t come to Israel to participate in the Miss Universe pageant, I think I would have regretted it for the rest of my life,” she said. told the Jerusalem Post on Thursday. “Some people have sent me through hell and back. It wasn’t the easiest thing to deal with… But I choose to be optimistic.”

South African Lalela Mswane performs as she competes in the National Costume portion of the Miss Universe pageant in Eilat, Israel, on Friday, December 10, 2021. Credit: Ariel Schalit/AP

Others seemed to use the event for political ends. Rafaela Plastira, a Greek model and former beauty pageant winner, had posted on Instagram that she was “withdrawing” from Miss Universe because she couldn’t “go on that stage and pretend nothing happened,” and in a later statement post said, ‘I may not live in Palestine, but Palestine lives in my heart forever.” Her statement was praised by pro-Palestinian activists.

But the official Miss Greece organization quickly made it clear that Plastira wasn’t even Greece’s official Miss Universe candidate, saying in a statement that the actual Miss Greece is Sofia Arapogianni, who later posed for photos with both Greek and Israeli flags.

Dressed in a sparkly white dress between dress rehearsals on Friday, Miss Israel, Noa Cochva, repeated a common refrain heard from Miss Universe organizers and contestants: Miss Universe shouldn’t be about politics.

“It’s about us as people, as strong women,” Cochva told DailyExpertNews in between rehearsals.

Regardless of that wish, Cochva acknowledged that she faces the dual pressures of competing in her home country, while also essentially being Israel’s ambassador and defender to the 79 other contestants.

Joking that her roommate, Miss USA, called her the “best tour guide,” Cochva said she has tried to show her fellow participants a different picture of Israel “than what you see on social media.”

At the other end of the spectrum is the new political reality of participants from countries like Bahrain and Morocco parading across an Israeli stage, something that may have been unimaginable a few years ago. The two countries were among four Arab countries to sign historic normalization agreements with Israel last year, paving the way for a wave of diplomatic, business and cultural activity.

Greece’s Sofia Arapogianni performs Friday during the national costume portion of the Miss Universe pageant in Eilat, Israel. Credit: Ariel Schalit/AP

Hoping for a tourist boost

With 80 participants bringing legions of social media followers as they tour the country for competition on Sunday, Israeli tourism officials hope such publicity will provide a much-needed boost for when the country reopens.

Sara Salansky, a spokeswoman for Israel’s Ministry of Tourism, told DailyExpertNews they had been approached in May about organizing the December contest. The request came because Israel had achieved high vaccination coverage and appeared to be close to reopening, with vaccines being rolled out faster than most other countries.

“It’s a very good return on investment for the Ministry of Tourism,” Salansky said. “It’s not something that happens every day; if you get a chance, you have to take it and this is what we did.”

Contestants take part in the National Costume portion of the Miss Universe pageant on Friday in Eilat, Israel. Credit: Ariel Schalit/AP

With an annual contribution of about 3% to Israel’s GDP, tourist numbers hit record levels before the pandemic, Salansky said. Before the pandemic hit, about 5 million visitors were expected in 2020, she added.

And while Israel’s borders are still temporarily closed to foreigners due to fears of the Omicron coronavirus variant, Salansky said the ability to present Israel as a tourist destination to the expected 600 million viewers of broadcasts around the world will have a long-term effect. .

“A lot of people are skeptical about this kind of event, but when we look at it, there’s a lot of media and people talking about it,” Salansky said. “So we’re looking at the positive, to use this event to show the positive about Israel.”

That meant guiding the 80 participants across the country, from touring the old city of Jerusalem to riding quad bikes in the desert. Some activities, such as a “Bedouin experience” day, were crushed by Palestinian activists.

“They don’t boycott apartheid, don’t compete and then shamelessly appropriate Palestinian culture and symbols of resistance. This is despicable.” tweeted campaigner Salem Barahmeh in response to Miss Philippines’ photos of herself and other contestants in traditional Bedouin dress.

Despite the complications caused by Covid-19, the pressures of politics and of course the questions surrounding the validity of such pageants in the present day, Smith, the American contestant as well as Cochva were adamant that Miss Universe has a positive role to play.

“We’re here to empower each other as women,” Smith said. “We’re just enjoying our time together and I think it really shows the power of women as a whole and that’s what we’re trying to show on December 12.”