Ammar Hassan has emerged from nowhere to become the first Palestinian pop idol, taking his people's minds off their conflict with Israel at least for a little while.

The music graduate from the West Bank's Al Najah University has gained sudden fame in the Arab world with his appearances on "Super Star", a singing competition aired live on the Lebanese satellite channel Future every Sunday night.

Hassan, 27, was among 6,000 amateur singers who auditioned for "Super Star". Seventeen were chosen and after 14 weeks the field has been narrowed to two, including Hassan.

Each week fans eliminated contestants, casting their votes by telephone, mobile phone text messages and e-mail.

The climactic show on Sunday will be watched by millions of fans around the Middle East and the winner will be announced the next day after the votes are counted.

To maximise support for Hassan, giant video screens are to be set up in Palestinian city squares for Sunday's telecast and Palestinian phone companies have temporarily slashed prices for calls and text messages to Lebanon.

Hassan has become an instant folk hero among his people.

"Ammar has given us a moment to breathe. We can forget about the (Israeli) occupation at least when the programme is being shown," said a fan, Abu Mahmoud.

Hassan's relatives and friends have been glued to the TV set in the family's old stone house in the West Bank town of Salfit every recent Sunday to watch him sing to cheering and whistling crowds in Future's Beirut studio.

After Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza launched a revolt against Israel in 2000, their cultural life virtually stopped under the weight of Israeli army raids, round-ups of wanted militants and economically crippling blockades.

Many Palestinians have been pleasantly distracted from their daily woes by their compatriot's success on the Lebanese show, whose winners often go on to have lucrative careers.

There had been no famous Palestinian pop singers before Hassan. Palestinian singers have generally stuck to traditional or nationalist folk music played at weddings and other gatherings.

Most of the Arabic pop singers played by Palestinian radio stations are from Lebanon or Egypt.

Hassan's repertoire on "Super Star" has been mainly the songs of other Arab performers, in keeping with contest rules.

Nevertheless, he has put Palestinians on the map of Arab pop almost overnight.

"The issue here is more than singing. It has to do with our image in the outside world. Some perceive us as terrorists. We are not that. We just want our freedom," said Adnan Hamed, a West Bank fan, after text-messaging a vote for Hassan.

Support for Hassan from Future's audience differs from that for other contenders.

When he takes the stage, spectators rise and chant "Ammar Ammar" and wave Palestinian flags.

When Hassan sings: "When Jerusalem was captured ... Love retreated ... And war settled in people's heart" -- a lyric from fabled Lebanese diva Fayrooz -- tears roll down the cheeks of his audience in the studio and at home.

"We have a singer and a fighter in my son. We belong to a culture like any other nation," said his father Hassan Daqrooq during a commercial break.

In the family sitting room, Daqrooq, a retired sales manager at a Kuwaiti company, keeps several home recorded videos of previous shows to watch them over and over again.

As Hassan appears on the show, the family's home phone and mobile phones have rung incessantly. Callers from Europe, North America and elsewhere wanted to know Future's studio number so they could vote for him.

Streets in Salfit empty and Internet coffee shops have filled during his Sunday performances. The Palestinian daily Al Quds established a Web site about him to spread the word.

"I feel great responsibility on my shoulders in representing my great c