 [Ynet] Manal Mussa from Deir al-Asad, Hayatem Khalila from Majd al-Krum traveled to Leb and successfully passed the audition stage of Arab world's most popular television program. But how did they get into Leb?
Two Israeli youths made history by successfully passing the audition stage of "Arab Idol," the most popular television program in the Arab world, broadcast by Leb's MBC network.
Manal Mussa from Deir al-Asad and Hayatem Khalila from Majd al-Krum will be the first Israeli-Arabs to participate in the program; but not the first from our neck of the woods -- two years ago Muhammad Assaf, from Gazoo Strip , won the competition, and skyrocketed to international success.
The two passed initial auditions in the West Bank, under the auspices of the Paleostinian Authority. Though the two were barred from speaking to media, family members told Ynet that the PA arraigned travel visas for them, allowing them to cross into Jordan, from where they entered into Leb.
Once in Leb, the two successfully passed the official audition, and will soon face off in the second round, which will be broadcast live around the Arab world to millions of viewers.
Thousands of Arab youths vied for a spot on the program, but only 27 managed to pass the auditions.
Their families members explained why the production requested the two refrain from being interviewed, saying that "publicity could create problems for them; the production thinks they are from the West Bank and do not know they hold Israeli citizenship."
Israeli-Arab artists expressed surprise at the two's ascension to Arab Idol, a show which some claim refuses to cooperate with Israelis.
Amal Mussa , Manal's mother, recently said in an interview that "we're all proud of her, she could be a success for the entire Arab world, not just in our village of Deir al-Asad. I just want her to know that he uncle from Leb called and said that he saw her on TV."
In response to an inquiry from Ynet, the Shin Bet reiterated that traveling to enemy states is a criminal offence. However,
if you can't be a good example, then you'll just have to be a horrible warning...
the Shin Bet claimed to have no knowledge of the two singers' movements, and said that it was possible that the police were investigating the incident.
It is worth recalling that at the beginning of April, Majd Kayyal, 23, an Israeli-Arab political activists and journalist was detained by the Shin Bet after entering Leb.
Though Kayyal claims his visit was well known and published -- he traveled to the country to attend an event organized by a paper he openly writes for and 'checked-in' via his Facebook page once in Leb - the Shin Bet suspects Kayyal was recruited by an enemy organization in Leb working against Israel.
The editor of the human rights
...which are usually open to widely divergent definitions...
website Adalah - The Legal Center for Arab Minority Rights in Israel, Kayyal left the country on March 23 and was tossed in the calaboose
Youse'll never take me alive coppers!... [BANG!]... Ow!... I quit!
upon his return at the Sheikh Hussein border crossing between Israel and Jordan.
His arrest and detention was kept under a gag order, which was eventually rescinded following a request from the Adalah center, the Ilam center and several journalists from both Arab and Jewish press. 
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