Music critics claim she has one of the most beautiful voices in the Middle East and she continues to captivate audiences worldwide with her emotional live performances. Yet Amal Murkus’ life is steeped in the tragedy of her Palestinian people’s dispossession and repression. The composer, from Israel’s Galilee region has defied her country’s prejudices to bring together a delicate marriage between Palestinian poetry and Western instrumentation. Her lyrics and music promote an end to the mad cycle of violence between Jews and Muslims in Israel and the territories the Jewish state occupies. Her debut album « Amal » («Hope »), released by Israel’s Hemisphere label, reflects her repertory of original compositions, poems written by leading Palestinian authors and classical Arabic folksongs.