Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza pay tribute to poet Mahmoud Darwish, who died after heart surgery in Texas.
Darwish suffered complications after undergoing open-heart surgery in Houston. Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has declared three days of mourning.Susan Flory reports.SOUNDBITE: Mahmoud Abbas, Palestinian President, saying: (Arabic) "The passing of our great poet Mahmoud Darwish the lover of Palestine, the pioneer of the modern Palestinian cultural project and the brilliant national leader, will leave a great gap in our political, cultural and national lives."
Hassan al-Kashef, Palestinian writers, saying; (Arabic) "He represented the Palestinian pain and experience, since the 'Nakba' in 1948 when he was a child until the last breakaway when he suffered pain in his heart. We wish that the absence of Mahmoud Darwish will be a reason to help to unite the Palestinian people."
