Emboldened by the support from the UN for its demand for statehood, the Palestinian Authority has officially adopted ‘State of Palestine’ as its new name, with President Mahmoud Abbas ordering its use on passports, ID cards, drivers’ licences, stamps and all official documents.

Abbas officially signed his first decrees that bear the name of the State of Palestine on Saturday, the official WAFA news agency reported yesterday.

According to a presidential decree, the ‘State of Palestine’ will be used instead of the PNA in all official correspondence by all Palestinian embassies in countries which recognise Palestine.

He also ordered his Government to replace the name on all official documents such as passports, ID cards, drivers’ licences and stamps.

The development came over a month after the UN General Assembly voted overwhelmingly to upgrade Palestine’s status to non-member observer state at the world body.

In a historic vote on November 29, a total of 138 nations voted in favour of the Palestinian proposal, in what was seen as a diplomatic blow to the US and Israel, and a moral boost to the Palestinians’ quest for an independent state.

In line with the order, the Palestinian Interior Ministry will start issuing new passports and ID cards for Palestinians which will show the term State of Palestine in place of the Palestinian Authority, a report in the Gulf News said.

“There is no place for the PNA on our official documents any more,” an official was quoted as saying by the paper.

On Saturday, thousands of people took to the streets of Hamas-ruled Gaza to mark 48 years since the founding of Fatah that was ousted from power in the occupied strip in 2007.

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