BDS calls for boycott of Miss Universe competition

Occupied Palestine (QNN)- The Boycott, Divestment, Sanctions (BDS) movement in Palestine called for a boycott of the Miss Universe competition, which will be held in the occupations state next December. The movement said the contest aims at covering up Israeli crimes against the Palestinian people.

The movement also praised the decision of Miss Indonesia and Miss Malesia, who decided to withdraw from the competition.

BDS in Palestine said in a statement that “while Israeli crimes continue against the Palestinian people and the people of the Arab region, and while its repression tools continue to target Palestinian women in particular by repression, arrests, and even calls for murder and rape, organizing this contest in ‘Eilat’ falls under the Israeli desperate attempts to whitewash its reputation, especially as the solidarity [with the Palestinian people] and cultural boycott of ‘Israel’ are growing internationally.”

the statement added that the UAE, for the first time ever, decided to take part Miss Universe competition. The gulf country started preparations to choose Miss UAE.

“The UAE’s participation can only be understood, as a political decision and an essential part of its strategic and security alliance between both regimes, of the UAE and Israel, which emerged following the normalization deal last year”, it added.

It also strongly condemned the decision to hold the competition this year in ‘Eilat’, an Israeli city created on the ruins of Palestinian villages, which were ethnically cleansed in 1948.

Miss Universe contest had cited Israel’s “rich history and culture” as a reason behind choosing it to organize the competition. The movement said this constitutes serious complicity with the Israeli propaganda.

The grandson of Nelson Mandella, Mandla Mandela, had called Miss South Africa to boycott the competition this year, citing the Israeli apartheid system, which is very similar to the apartheid system that South Africans suffered from.