( CNN ) Miss Lebanon Saly Greige is distancing herself from a photo of her and Miss Israel Doron Matalon that 's causing an online uproar . The picture appeared on Matalon 's Instagram feed on January 11 . It shows Matalon smiling with Greige , Miss Slovenia and Miss Japan in Miami , where the Miss Universe pageant will take place on Sunday . `` Good morning from us ! '' reads the caption . The image ignited a wide-ranging debate in the comments of the picture about the ongoing conflict between Israel and much of the Arab world . Officially , Israel and Lebanon are still at war , even though there have been no large-scale hostilities on the border since 2006 . Travel between them by citizens of the two countries is prohibited . The Miss Universe Organization defended the picture , saying it was `` unfortunate '' that the picture has been perceived in a negative light . `` At an event with one of our charitable partners , Miss Universe Lebanon and Miss Universe Israel innocently ended up in an impromptu photo together , which was then posted on Instagram , '' the organization said in a statement to CNN . `` It is unfortunate to know a photo of four smiling women from different parts of the world , working together at an event , could be misconstrued as anything other than what it is , a celebration of universal friendship , which the Miss Universe pageant is all about . '' Greige addressed the controversy on Saturday on social media , sharing what she called `` the truth behind the photo . '' She also posted the same photo on her Instagram account with Miss Israel cropped out . From the start of pageant preparations , Greige said , she was `` very cautious to avoid being in any photo or communication with Miss Israel . '' As she explains it , she was posing for a photo with Miss Japan and Miss Slovenia when `` suddenly Miss Israel jumped in , took a selfie , and put it on her social media , '' she said . Matalon weighed in Sunday after a website posted an article with the headline `` Miss Lebanon in Trouble . '' She took a screenshot of the article and captioned it , `` It does n't surprise me , but it still makes me sad , '' and posted it on her social media accounts . `` Too bad you can not 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 . '' Comments on her original photo echoed the sentiment . `` As a Lebanese , I really do n't see anything wrong with this picture . It 's time we promote peace over violence as the latter has gotten us no where . And if you really wan na discuss politics , it surely should n't be under the picture of 4 beautiful ladies who have nothing to do with your b******t. Good luck ladies ! '' It 's not the first time beauty pageants have been caught up in political controversy . According to multiple news reports , former Miss Lebanon Christina Sawaya pulled out of Miss Universe 2002 because she did not want to share the stage with Miss Israel amid tensions in the Middle East . `` The Miss Universe pageant has always been a celebration of different cultures , welcoming women from all around the globe . It provides an opportunity for the participants to see just how much they have in common , '' the organization said . `` With 88 women from around the world coming together for the Miss Universe pageant , new friendships are forged and we hope that these relationships can make inroads for change in the future . ''
two Universe calls controversy `` unfortunate '' Photo shows Miss Greige with Miss Greige Doron Matalon and two other Miss Universe Organization contestants . Greige says Matalon `` jumped '' into shot and `` took a selfie ''