November 24, 2009

Palestine was allocated a postal code by the Universal Postal Union (UPU) following successful talks with the International Bureau in Berne, Switzerland, the Ministry of Communications and Information Technology announced [last] Wednesday.

Head of the Mission to the union Mahmoud Diwan said the move would help guarantee the independence of the Palestinian postal system when it is re-launched, and make it distinct from the Israeli system. Currently, mail destined for the West Bank and Gaza from international locations must be posted “care of” or “via” Israel. Only when couriering packages within the West Bank or from the West Bank to Gaza is labeling “Palestine” acceptable.

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“We knew at the outset that the task would be difficult. We acknowledged that publicly and privately. We knew this would be a road with many bumps— and there have been many bumps—and that continues to this day. But we are not deterred. We are, to the contrary, determined more than ever to proceed to realize the common objective, which we all share, of a Middle East that is at peace with security and prosperity for the people of Israel, for Palestinians, and for all the people in the region. We will continue our efforts in that regard, undeterred and undaunted by the difficulties, the complexities or the bumps in the road.”—George Mitchell, special envoy for Middle East peace, remarks with Prime Minister Netanyahu, September 29, 2010

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