Palestine seeks membership in ITU,UPU

Palestinian Minister of Communication and Information Technologies Dr. Safa Nassr El-Din has said that the Ministry is seeking membership in the International Telecommunication Union (ITU) and Universal Postal Union (UPU), said on Saturday. As a non-member observer state, the Palestine Liberation Organization, the holder of such state rights, will have the capacity to apply for state membership in United Nations agencies, most significantly the International Criminal Court. This is Israel’s greatest concern that the Palestinians will become a state party to the Rome Statute that established the ICC and by which it could request an investigation into whether Israel should be charged with committing war crimes and crimes against humanity due to its policies and practices on the West Bank and in Gaza, including its military operations in 2008-09 and 2012. Safa Nassr El-Din indicated, in a press release, issued here today that the ministry was also seeking access to international frequencies, codes and direct mail exchange with the world. The minister called on international companies and institutions, with internet websites, to change the names on their websites to Palestine, which is now recognized as a state by the world. She also called on the human rights organizations to support the efforts in communicating with international organizations to post the name Palestine on the internet network. The UN General Assenbly voted overwhelmingly in favour of granting Palestine a non-member observer State status at the United Nations, and stressed urgent need for the resumption of negotiations between Israel and the Palestinians leading to a permanent two-State solution. The resolution on the status of Palestine in the UN was adopted by a vote of 138 in favour , to nine voted against including Israel and the United States, saying the unilateral recognition of Palestine as a state would hinder the Middle Eastern peace process. 41 abstentions out of the 193-member Assembly were recorded.