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Ammon News - AMMONNEWS - Palestinian wedding singer Mohammad Assaf on Saturday night won the title of "Arab Idol," the regional TV singing contest aired by MBC.

Upon announcing the win of 23-year old Assaf, who hails from a refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, festive firing and celebrations in the capital Amman took place, while in Assaf's hometown across Gaza, Palestinians were overjoyed at the local singer's win.

Assaf said he dedicates his win the the martyrs of the Palestinian cause, and to the Palestinians and to the people of the Arab world.

Assaf won over contenders Farah Yousef from Syria, and Ahmad Gamal from Egypt, who along with Assaf made it to the final three out of a starting 27-strong competition, as millions watched and voted for the favorite.

Fireworks erupted in Gaza, Amman, and other cities upon announcing Assaf's win, when only a night before he aroused the sentiment of Palestinian nationalism with the song "Raise the Kuffiyeh,".


Assaf, who was born to Palestinian parents in Libya and grew up in Gaza’s Khan Younis refugee camp, almost didn’t get to compete. He says he had to plead with Hamas to let him leave Gaza, then bribe Egyptian border guards to let him enter the country en route to Lebanon. A fellow Palestinian gave up his slot during the audition phase because he believed Assaf had a better chance at winning, The Jordan Times reported.

With Assaf advancing in the competition since March, excitement and national pride have been building in the West Bank, Gaza and East Jerusalem, the territories where the Palestinians one day hope to establish a state.

Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas announced appointing Assaf as a goodwill ambassador with diplomatic privileges, and the UNRWA also awarded him the position of goodwill ambassador.

The pan-Arab competition airs on Saudi-owned MBC, and broadcasts from Beirut.

Traffic jams filled the streets of Amman, Ramallah, Gaza city, and others as people took to the street to celebrate Assaf's win, with many shooting festive firing in the air and playing Assaf's songs in their cars.



* Photos by Mohmmad Abu Hmaed/ Abdoun, Amman Saturday June 22, 2013.