In Israel and the Occupied Territories, thousands of Palestinians gathered in Ramallah for the state funeral of the poet Mahmoud Darwish. Darwish died on Saturday from complications following heart surgery in Houston. Considered one of the most important Arab poets, he was designated the Palestinian poet laureate. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas was among those to honor his memory.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas: “We bid farewell to a star, whom we loved to the point of adoration. After the 9th of August was a bright day in the Palestinian culture and history and humanity when this stubborn knight stepped away from poetry and literature to leave in us a sun that does not set and a river that does not stop flowing with goodness and humanity and hope.”

Mahmoud Darwish is the first Palestinian to receive a state funeral since Yasser Arafat in 2004.