Mohammed Assaf

Mohammed Assaf: With the announcement of Mohammed Assaf's victory, fireworks lit up the sky over the West Bank and Gaza, according to CBC. Rasha Salman, 42, an engineer in Gaza City, was moved to tears. "He brought joy to our hearts and dried some of our wounds," she said. "For a few moments, he united us behind his cause, which is art." Palestinians relished a rare moment of pride and national unity Saturday after a 23-year-old wedding singer from a refugee camp in the Gaza Strip won Arab Idol, a regional TV singing contest watched by millions of people. Thousands who had watched the final show on outdoor screens in the two territories broke into cheers and chants of "Palestine, Palestine." In Gaza City, young men on motorcycles waved Palestinian flags and women dropped candy from balconies. A Palestinian girl carries a poster of singer Mohammed Assaf while watching his winning performance on the Arab Idol talent show, in Gaza City. Adel Hana/Associated Press (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.