Miss Iraq hopes for peace to ‘endless’ war after reuniting with Miss Israel in Jerusalem

ERBIL (Kurdistan 24) – Following her visit to Jerusalem, Iraq’s 2017 Miss Universe contestant says she hopes for peace to “endless” wars.

Six months after a controversial selfie which led to death threats for Sarah Idan and her family, the Miss Iraq model reunited with her Miss Israel counterpart Adar Gandelsman for a photoshoot in Jerusalem on Monday.

While there, the pair toured the Mahane Yehuda Market in the city and enjoyed a meal at a popular Iraqi-Jewish restaurant.

On Wednesday, the two attended the American Jewish Committee’s (AJC) global forum in the city where they discussed their relationship.

“We became friends in less than 10 minutes,” Idan told a crowd at the forum, recalling the moment she met Gandelsman during a Miss Universe pageant in Las Vegas in November.

“All it took for us to feel connected was we were both not concerned with the difference of our faith, beliefs, and nationality,” she explained.

During the competition in Las Vegas last year, both Idan and Gandelsman posed for photos to post on their respective social media pages.

Idan posted a photo of her and Gandelsman with the caption: “Peace and Love from Miss Iraq and Miss Israel.”

A month later, in December, her family fled Iraq due to security concerns over the woman’s modeling in a bikini and posting the photos taken with Miss Israel on social media.

“I traveled thousands of miles and put my life at risk to express how so many of us are tired of this endless war between our countries,” Idan said at the AJC forum.

“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.”