With his glinting smile and powerful vocals captivating audiences and panel of judges, an Arab Idol contestant has become the first Palestinian to advance into a late stage of the pan-Arab talent competition. Mohammed Assaf, from Gaza, has become a national icon among Palestinians. 

The exile, fear and frustration of Palestinians expelled from their homeland will be brought to life through John Bisharat’s composed autobiography "Ya Way Li." The piece, which is debuting April 20 with the Oakland East Bay Symphony in California, is part of the program, "Notes from the Middle East," which brings together viewpoints of Palestinians, Egyptians and Israelis through music.  

Palestinian boys participate during a class at the Red Dragon martial arts club in Beit Lahiyeh, in the northern Gaza Strip. 

Straight outta Lod, Israel: a trio that's often hailed as the first Palestinian hip-hop group will kick off a U.S. tour promoting its new album, "Dabke on the Moon," at Drom this Sunday. DAM was formed in 1998 by Mahmoud Jreri and brothers Suhell and Tamer Nafar. Suhell grew up loving the "fast lyrics and the beat" of hip-hop; his older brother Tamer at first hated the music but changed his mind when he heard Tupac Shakur's "Holler If Ya Hear Me." 

On the morning of Friday, Feb. 15, more than 200 Palestinian youths came from throughout the West Bank to gather in the center of Ramallah. They were not preparing for a national march or a demonstration at an Israeli checkpoint, as has been the practice during every similar gathering in the Palestinian territories. They all stood with backpacks and tennis shoes, listened to the briefing about the journey, distance and number of Israeli checkpoints along the way, boarded the bus that was waiting for them, and headed to that day's destination: al-Lubban al-Sharqiya village, south of Nablus.
 

Extolled by Palestinians in the late 80s and early 90s, Aburedwan, better known to his fans as Ramzi - first caught the eye of Arabs worldwide in 1987 when a photographer famously shot a picture of him, dressed in a red coat and scuffed blue jeans, tears running down his eyes, an over-sized rock in each hand, just as he raised his right arm to hurl one at an Israeli sniper he witnessed shoot his classmate in the head as she walked home from a bakery. Now in his thirties, the West Bank's "stone thrower" is a globally recognized violinist, educator and peace activist. 

Palestinian teenager Mohamed al-Badawi spent a substantial amount of time trying to improve his soccer skills as he prepared to join Barcelona's soccer school next summer. Barcelona's Youth Academy, a sport institution offering young players training in world football, conducts regular tours to discover new young talents throughout Spain and the world. During its recent trip to Jordan, the academy aimed to choose the best five young talents out of over 400 players. Al-Badawi was delighted to read about the academy's tour in the local newspapers, and he went to Jordan to try his luck. After playing in front of scouters from Barcelona's soccer academy of Soccerstages, the 15-year-old was chosen along five others to join the training program in Barcelona. 

Betty Saadeh is a Palestinian race driver with a drive to succeed. The 31-year-old mother of two was born into racing royalty, her father Julio was a champion race driver in Mexico in the 1980s, and she is determined to follow in his path. Saadeh is the reigning female champion in Palestinian motor racing and is now looking to represent her country at a higher level.