Miss Indonesia finalist expelled over old pro-Israel video
Merince Kogoya (pic), who represented the province of Highland Papua, was officially removed from the competition on June 26 after the resurfaced video went viral on social media.
The footage, believed to have been uploaded two years ago - before the outbreak of the Gaza war in October 2023 - shows Kogoya displaying the Israeli flag and praying for the Jewish state. However, her actions were widely interpreted as support for Israel during its military campaign against Palestinians.
The controversy forced the Miss Universe Indonesia organisers to send her home from the pageant's quarantine phase and replace her with another contestant.
In a statement posted to Instagram on Monday (July 1), Kogoya defended herself, saying the video was not a political statement but an expression of her Christian faith.
"My two-year-old video reel was widely shared and misinterpreted in ways that do not reflect my beliefs,' she wrote.
Indonesia does not maintain diplomatic ties with Israel and has long supported the Palestinian cause. Public expressions seen as sympathetic to Israel frequently trigger controversy in the country. - dpa
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