Palestinian wins EU photo competition

A young Palestinian photographer won first prize in a European competition celebrating images of Mediterranean cities, a press statement said Monday. Mahmoud Illean, from Jerusalem, was awarded for his photograph of Saint Mary's Church in the city by the EU-funded Euromed Heritage programme and the Rehabimed Association. "We have selected this picture because of its aesthetic and artistic value... It is a rich composition of people in ritual," jury member Christiane Dabdoub Nasser said. The jury received 266 pictures from 23 different countries, and also commended an image by Mohamed Badarne, from Haifa.