Miss Universe Controversy: Miss Lebanon Saly Greige's Receives Flak after Posing with Miss Israel Doron Matalon [PHOTOS]

Miss Lebanon Saly Greige has landed herself in controversy a week before the grand finale of the 63^rd edition of the Miss Universe beauty pageant.

Miss Universe contestant Saly Greige has come under fire in Lebanon after she posted a selfie with Miss Israel Doron Matalon. Greige has received major flak, with some Lebanese saying that she should be stripped of her title for posing with rival country contestant, according to Reuters.

The selfie, which has gone viral on social media, shows Matalon and Greige standing next to each other along with two other contestants from Japan and Slovenia. The photo was taken in Miami, where the Miss Universe beauty pageant is being held, and was posted by Matalon on her Instagram account.

After she posted the selfie, Lebanese channel Al Jadeed joked saying that Greige, who said that reading is one of her hobbies, should read about the Lebanon and Israel conflict.

However, defending herself Greige said that she tried avoiding Matalon throughout the event, but she jumped in and took a photo.

"Since the first day of my arrival to participate to Miss Universe, I was very cautious to avoid being in any photo or communication with Miss Israel, who tried several times to take a photo with me," Greige wrote on her Facebook page.

"I was having a photo with Miss Japan, Miss Slovenia, suddenly Miss Israel jumped in and took a selfie, and uploaded it on her social media," she added.

Greige later cropped Miss Israel from the selfie and re-shared the photo on her instagram account.

Matalon also took to Twitter to say that the whole affair "doesn't surprise me, but it still makes me sad".  

 "It doesn't surprise me, but it still makes me sad. Too bad you cannot put the hostility out of the game, only for three weeks of an experience of a lifetime that we can meet girls from around the world and also from the neighboring country," Matalon said.