Yair Dalal (; born 25 July 1955) is an Israeli musician of Iraqi-Jewish descent. His main instruments are the oud and the violin, and he also sings as accompaniment. He composes his own music and draws on Arab and Jewish traditions, as well as European classical music and Indian music. He is also a peace activist, and works to enhance understanding and communication between Arabs and Jews. Biography and musical style Yair Dalal was born in Israel in 1955, his parents were Jews and they had immigrated to Israel the year before. Growing up, he was exposed to many different kinds of music, and studied violin at Givatayim Conservatory, just east of Tel Aviv. Though he was influenced by Iraqi folk music, he was also interested in Western rock. In his early twenties, he started to play the oud. In his thirties, he lived on Kibbutz Samar, Israel, on the southern tip of the Arabah Desert, and played music with the Bedouin tribe Azazme. His experience playing music with Bedouin tribes helped him find the musical identity he has today, and inspired him to write music that bridges the gap between Jewish Israelis and Arabs. His musical style is now influenced by European classical, jazz, blues and Arab music. He describes it as, “It is Arabic, it is Iraqi, it is Jewish and Israeli.” Performing in recent years he often wears a loose white robe or long jacket, with a cloth draped over his shoulder like a prayer shawl which he says shows his heritage and spirituality without being orthodox or overly religious. He also believes in the emotional and transformative power of music. During the first Gulf War, he composed a piece with his then band, called Midian. The piece has a violin part which imitated the sound of Scud missiles falling from Iraq to Israel. After that, he began touring and recording both as a solo artist and with his band, Al Ol. Between 1995 and 2002, he recorded seven solo albums. In 1994, he wrote the song “Zaman el Salaam” and performed it during the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony for Yitzhak Rabin, Shimon Peres, and Yasser Arafat. Activism and cultural heritage Among his many efforts to promote peace between Arabs and Israelis, Dalal has created a “Concert for Peace,” and written an album entitled “Inshallah Shalom,” which loosely translates to “God willing there shall be peace.” He