Mahmoud Darwish funeral ceremony at Muqata’a

Posted on August 13th, 2008 by Marian Houk

The media was waiting.
The visual media was waiting for Mahmoud Darwish\'s final return to Ramallah

The funeral wreaths were waiting.

Funeral wreaths for Mahmoud Darwish

The dignitaries and the famous and infamous were waiting.

The dignitaries were waiting

Yasser Abed Rabbo in wheelchair waiting for return of Mahmoud Darwish's body at Muqata\'a

Two Jordanian helicopters, one of which was carrying the coffin of Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish returning from Texas via Amman for burial in Ramallah, circled overhead at precisely 12:01 pm — exactly on time — and landed a few minutes later.

One of two Jordanian helicopters carrying Mahmoud Darwish back to Ramallah after his death last week in a Texas hospital - 13 Aug 2008

The helicopters parked on the landing pad area next to the mausoleum built for Yasser Arafat in the Muqata’a presidential compound in Ramallah.

Jordanian helicopters which brought Mahmoud Darwish's body back to Ramallah from Amman.

The coffin, adorned with wreaths of flowers, followed a Palestinian military drum-and-bagpipe band:

Casket of Mahmoud Darwish arriving at Muqata\'a

Salam Fayyad walked beside the coffin, and Mahmoud Abbas walked behind it.

Salam Fayyad walks beside Mahmoud Darwish's coffin

Abu Mazen walks behind Mahmoud Darwish's coffin

The Palestinian security forces were not very easy-going.

Palestinian security snarl at journalists as Mahmoud Darwish's coffin passes

Al-Jazeera’s Walid Al-Omary did a live stand-up report, as did an Israeli television journalist:

Walid al-Omary reporting live for Al-.Jazeera

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Filed under: Israel, Palestine & Palestinians

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