Abbas harnesses Palestinian's win on 'Arab Idol'
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is using Palestinian Yacoub Shaheen's win on "Arab Idol" as an opportunity to alter Palestinians' image in the world.
The presence of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas in Beirut the weekend of Feb. 25 may have been a coincidence. But when two Palestinians are competing in the final week for the title of Arab Idol, a Palestinian president is unlikely to let the incident go by without being part of the fanfare.
In Beirut, President Abbas arranged to see "Arab Idol" contestants Yacoub Shaheen, from Bethlehem, and Ameer Dandan, from the Galilee village of Majd al-Krum. But more importantly, Abbas hosted and was filmed greeting Ahlam, the flamboyant Emirati member of Middle East Broadcasting Center's "Arab Idol" jury. The third "Arab Idol" finalist, Ammar Mohammad, from Yemen, was also invited to meet with Abbas.
