The Poet, who worked as a writer and politician to forge a Palestinian consciousness, passed away at age 67 due to complications from open-heart surgery. His poems were widely taught throughout the Arab world, some of his lines even becoming popular songs in modern Arabic culture. One of his first volumes of poetry, Leaves of the Olive Tree, which was published in 1964, symbolized the Palestinian resistance to Israeli rule. At this time, Darwish was a member of the Israeli Communist party, Rakah, despite Israeli Palestinians being restricted in any expression of nationalism. Darwish was imprisoned several times for his outspokenness.