Darwish, power of the written word
Photo: AFP
Thousands attend procession in memory of Darwish in Galilee
Friends, family congregate in honor of Palestinian poet. MK Barakeh: Darwish will be there when Palestinians are freed
Thousands of people participated Saturday evening in a procession in memory of the Palestinian national poet Mahmoud Darwish in his home village of Jadaida in the western Galilee.
Darwish’s family members, friends, distinguished guests and public figures from the Arab community came to honor the poet, who died at the age of 67 last week after undergoing open-heart surgery in Houston, Texas.
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Hadash Chairman Knesset MeberMohammad Barakeh said during the procession, “When the day will come that the Palestinian nation’s ship will be harbored at the beach of freedom, Mahmoud Darwish will be there.
"At any moment, those who conquered you and those who conquered your nation could launch a errant shell, burn an entire camp and starve your nation. But, they can’t face the power of your language and your words.”
Barakeh also used Darwish’s words to describe what is occurring in Palestinian society and said, “Stop this death, we have no time for death.”
MK Ahmad Tibi (United Arab List-Ta'al) and Palestinian spokesman Ahmed Abdel Rahman read parts of Darwish’s poetry.
“We will all miss him. He brought the Palestinian message to the whole world,” said Rahman. Tibi added, “Darwish shortened the distance between exile and the homeland. The symbol of freedom that was always a few steps above his enemies, was buried in Ramallah, which is a city of symbols, Arafat and Darwish.”
Darwish’s family originally wanted to bury their loved one in his home village of Jadaida, but a delegation from the Palestinian Authority that visited the village managed to convince them to bury the Palestinian poet in Ramallah.
Rahman, who led the delegation, said that “Darwish will be buried in an impressive burial ceremony in the cultural center in Ramallah and a gravesite will be erected on a hill facing the city.”
According to him, “when the time comes for the creation of a Palestinian state, Darwish’s grave will be transferred, just like Yasser Arafat’s will be, to Jerusalem, the eternal capital of the Palestinian city,” said Rahman.
