Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, right, stands next to relatives of Palestinian poet Mahmoud Darwish, who gave a voice to the Palestinians' longing for independence, during his funeral in the West Bank city of Ramallah, Wednesday, Aug. 13, 2008. Darwish, 67, died Saturday following heart surgery in a Houston hospital. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas declared a mourning period of three days, and flags were lowered to half-staff at government offices in the West Bank. President Mahmoud Abbas is seen right. (AP Photo/Maya Hitij)