Palestinian contestant Mohammed Assaf on Arab Idol Gaza – Arabstoday Mohammed Assaf has become the first Palestinian to qualify for the TV talent show Arab Idol.The Gaza-born contestant is among the top 10 remaining acts, largely thanks to his appealing good looks and heartfelt lyrics about his native Palestine. Palestinians have rallied behind the 22-year-old who sings of his lost homeland on the Beirut, Lebanon based show. Speaking to Reuters one fan, Rehaf al-Batniji said: “He is the pride of Palestine. He broke the siege with his voice,\'\' referring to Israel\'s barricade of Gaza, seized by the Jewish state, along with the West Bank, during the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.
Assaf has been hailed the voice of the nation. His musical renditions are broadcast from radios around the country offering a break from the usually sobering political and economic news. Politicians are eager to endorse the singing sensation, while the Palestinian mobile phone company Jawwal has cut the price of text messages to make it easier for supporters to vote, Reuters reports.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, from the Fatah party that controls the West Bank spoke to the singer by telephone, offering words of encouragement and urged all Arabs to vote for him.