Palestinians launch postcodes in assertion of sovereignty

All international mail sent to or from the West Bank has to pass through Jordan or Israel; Ramallah says that some half a million buildings in the territory had already been given ZIP codes
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The Palestinian Authority announced Sunday it would begin using its own postal codes, a move at easing the delivery of parcels in the territories as well as asserting sovereignty.
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    • International mail sent to or from the West Bank currently has to pass through Jordan or Israel.
    3 View gallery
    Mail packages are seen at a post office in the city of al-Bireh, about 15 kilometres north of Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank     Mail packages are seen at a post office in the city of al-Bireh, about 15 kilometres north of Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank
    Mail packages are seen at a post office in the Palestinian city of al-Bireh in the West Bank
    (Photo: AFP)
    But the PA said Sunday it had asked the Universal Postal Union to notify its member states that Palestinian postal codes were coming into force.
    "From April, postal items that do not bear a Palestinian postal code will not be processed," Palestinian Minister of Communications Ishaq Sidr told reporters in Ramallah, the West Bank headquarters of the Palestinian Authority.
    "It is a question of asserting Palestinian rights," he said.
    Palestinian postal codes would also help put an end to the seizure of shipments from abroad, Sidr said.
    He said six tonnes of packages had been held up in Jordan since 2018, and accused Israel of obstructing deliveries.
    3 View gallery
    Ishaq Sidr, Palestinian Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister     Ishaq Sidr, Palestinian Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister
    Ishaq Sidr, Palestinian Telecommunications and Information Technology Minister
    (Photo: AFP)
    Using postcodes "will prevent Israel from seizing postal items that come to Palestine, and will help make the services more efficient," Imad al-Tumayzi, head of international relations at the Palestinian Post, told AFP.
    "In 2020, we recorded more than 7,000 violations of postal equipment on the Israeli side, whether by opening packages, seizing them or summoning their owners for investigation," he said.
    Palestinians have complained that they are forced to use costly private courier services to send or receive parcels.
    But it was not clear if the application of postal codes would cut mailing costs.
    3 View gallery
    Palestinian postal workers examine a mail package at a post office in the city of al-Bireh, about 15 kilometres north of Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank     Palestinian postal workers examine a mail package at a post office in the city of al-Bireh, about 15 kilometres north of Jerusalem in the occupied West Bank
    Postal workers examine a mail package at a post office in the Palestinian city of al-Bireh in the West Bank
    (Photo: AFP)
    Official PA news agency Wafa said some half a million buildings in the West Bank had already been given postcodes.
    It said the rollout would soon be extended to the Gaza Strip, under a joint Israeli-Egyptian blockade and controlled by Islamists Hamas.
    In the West Bank, a Palestinian postal worker who asked not to be named, said the new postcodes were "more symbolic than practical."
    "Postal coding can only truly be implemented when the Palestinian Authority controls ports or airports," he said.
    The West Bank, wedged between Israel and Jordan, has no operational civilian airport.
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    2.
    Priorities
    The Palestinian’s in power have tons of money to run foreign embassies in 99 counties, to give full pensions to suicide bombers and to play PR stunts like this, but don’t seemed to care much when it comes to providing covid vaccines for their own people (Israel has to give them free vaccines) The Palestinian leadership are parasites who are so drunk on their power and money that they will work as hard as they can to create conflict, to keep people angry and aggrieved. Abbas has billions as did Arafat before him. Pigs
    David| 02.08.21
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    1.
    Funny thing ...
    When they needed to provide their population with coronavirus shots, they started crying that Israel wasn’t sharing with them. If you have more embassies and foreign missions that Israel does and $billions that you blackmailed Arab counties to give to you, and you have untold $millions to give as pensions to terrorist, then you have the resources to be responsible for your own people. Unless, of course, you are only using this to attack Israel and gain power. Then maybe, you might want to play the game of calling yourself a poor victim. If not, you may actually have to provide for people and make their lives better.
    David| 02.08.21
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