Palestinians say farewell to poet

Palestinians are attending the funeral of poet and author Mahmoud Darwish, who has died at the age of 67.

The West Bank city of Ramallah has come to a standstill for commemorations to one of the most influential cultural figures in recent Arab history.

It is expected to be the biggest funeral in the West Bank since that of Yasser Arafat in 2004.

Darwish was instrumental in forging a sense of Palestinian national identity, analysts say.

Darwish died after open-heart surgery in Houston, Texas, on Saturday.

The poet’s body was flown back from the US to Amman, Jordan, where a 26-member honour guard saluted as 12 Palestine Liberation Army officers carried the flag-draped coffin from the plane, AFP news agency reported.

Military helicopter

Jordan’s Prince Ali bin Nayef attended the two-hour ceremony on Wednesday on behalf of King Abdullah.

The coffin was then taken by military helicopter to the government compound of Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, in Ramallah.

Mr Abbas led mourners and read a eulogy to the poet.

The BBC’s Aleem Maqbool, in Ramallah, says people of all backgrounds in the West Bank feel they had a personal connection to the poet and take pride in a man who told their story in a way they could not.

Darwish was a national icon, whose work was often based on his experiences of life in exile and under occupation.

“He symbolises the Palestinian memory,” one Palestinian mourner told the BBC.

“He intended to convey a message: in the end we are all human beings and we have to work collectively for the sake of humanity.”

Thousands would flock to his recitals. His poems were transformed into popular songs and used in political speeches, and the words he wrote now form part of Palestinian daily life, our correspondent says.

Fierce criticism

Nor was he shy of talking of his people’s shortcomings.

Darwish penned fierce criticism of the divisions among Palestinians, believing, in some ways, what they were doing to themselves was worse than anything others had done to them.

He also penned the famous speech Arafat delivered at the United Nations in 1974: “Today I have come bearing an olive branch and a freedom-fighter’s gun. Do not let the olive branch fall from my hand.”

There is little doubt his work, not just on the Palestinian cause, but on love and hope and death, will endure across the Arab world, our correspondent says.