Lebanese singer Nancy Ajram has sparked controversy after a photo of her shaking hands with an Israeli travel blogger surfaced online.
The photo was taken after a concert she performed in Cyprus on Sunday.
The blogger, Itzik Blass, posted the photo on his Instagram account, where he has over 200,000 followers. He wrote in Hebrew: “Nancy Ajram, the queen of Arabic music, thank you for the amazing show.”
However, the photo did not go unnoticed by Israeli media, which used it to accuse Ajram of being friendly with Israelis. Israeli journalist Roi Kayes shared the photo on Twitter and wrote: “Nancy Ajram and the Israelis are in endless romantic parties.” He also aired a report on the Israeli Kan channel, where he claimed that Ajram was “one of the most popular singers among Israelis.”
Ajram, who is known for her patriotic songs and support for the Lebanese resistance, has not yet commented on the photo or the Israeli media’s reaction. However, some of her fans have defended her on social media, saying that she was unaware of the blogger’s identity and that she was just being polite to a fan.
Others, however, have criticized her for shaking hands with an Israeli, who is considered an enemy by many Arabs. They accused her of normalizing relations with Israel and betraying the Palestinian cause.
Ajram is not the first Arab singer to face backlash over a photo with an Israeli. In 2019, Egyptian singer Mohamed Ramadan was attacked by some of his fans after a photo of him with an Israeli singer went viral. He later apologized and said he did not know the singer was Israeli.
