Yael Shelbia Historic Cover Photo Appears on This Month’s Issue Arab Fashion Magazine L’Officiel Arabia
Yael Shelbia also has the most beautiful face in the world.
Yael Shelbia is now officially the first Israeli model to appear on the cover of an Arab publication — L’Official Arabia a prominent Arab fashion and culture magazine based in Dubai. The magazine is printed in English and will the issue focuses entirely on Israeli fashion designers and artists like illustrator Talia Zore.
The issue’s headline featured a play on words: “A Peace of history.” This is in reference to the fact that having an Israeli grace the magazine’s cover only became possible after last summer’s peace agreement between Israel and the United Arab Emirates was signed.
“I’m so happy to be a part of this historic cover,” Shelbia wrote in an Instagram post. “Thank you @lofficielarabia & @laishamag Together we are stronger.”
In Hebrew she wrote, “I am so excited to take part in an historic event like this and to be the first Israeli on the cover of a UAE [publication]. There is no doubt that this is a step which I never dreamed of in my career. Together we are stronger.”
“As a Jewish, religious IDF soldier and a model, I’m so very honored to be the first one to participate in such a historical cover,” Shelbia, 19, told The Algemeiner in Dec. 2020. “I hope that in the near future, we will be privileged to extend the peace in the Middle East.”
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In its own Instagram post of the cover, L’Officiel Arabia said, “Together we are stronger! L’Officiel Arabia is celebrating the UAE and Israel’s historic peace accord this February with cover star Yael Shelbia, the first Israeli to appear on a UAE magazine cover. The move is part of a historic collaboration celebrating talents from the UAE and Israel.”
Boba Stanic, the magazine’s editor-in-chief of the magazine, told the UAE’s Gulf News, “I’m proud that we are the first in the region to present not only a cover with an Israeli model, but moreover provide a firm endorsement of the talents of a country that has previously been inaccessible to the UAE.”
The Israeli model has made other historic achievements recently. Yael Shelbia also has the most beautiful face in the world. This official fact was confirmed by TC Candler and the Independent Critics who bestowed the honor upon the 19 year old at the end of last year. Yael Shelbia beat out such notable members of the top ten as Korean singer Tzuyu and fellow 19 year old, the French model Thylane Blondeau.
Founded in 1921, L’Officiel is a luxury lifestyle media network for both women and men. Today L’Officiel stands states that it stands for a global voice for the lifestyle culture, combining data, technology and storytelling to connect brands to the “widest and best targeted premium audience.” L’Officiel & L’Officiel Hommes is a global and multichannel network producing over 40K unique contents per year and reaching 14M users around the world through multiple channels.
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