RAMALLAH, January 8, 2013 (WAFA) – President Mahmoud Abbas issued a decree on Sunday giving instructions to the government to start using the term “State of Palestine” instead of the term “Palestinian National Authority” on all official documents including passports, identity cards, population registration, driving licenses and other documents.

The decree said “the cabinet has to, within two months, prepare amendments to the laws and regulations in force and prepare new sample for passports, identity cards, national ID number, population registration documents, personal status law, vehicle and driving licenses, all sorts of revenue stamps, and the postage stamp for the state of Palestine, as follows:

1-“Preparing a sample of the new passport for the state of Palestine, including diplomatic, private and regular passport based on applicable international regulations and the latest world standards where it will be put into use at the right time to include every Palestinian inside the Palestinian Territory and in the Diaspora while maintaining all the rights of Palestinians in the countries they reside in.

2- “Preparing new samples for the identity card, population registration documents, civil affairs documents for all Palestinians based on the applied international regulations and the latest world standards where it will be put into use at the right time to include every Palestinian inside the Palestinian territory and in Diaspora while maintaining all the rights of Palestinians in the countries they reside in.

T.R./M.S.