Sunday, the Palestinian Authority (PA) announced it would begin using its own postal codes, which is a move aimed at easing the delivery of parcels in the occupied Palestinian territories as well as asserting sovereignty.

Usually, international mail or deliveries from outside borders which are sent to or from the occupied West Bank have to pass through Jordan or the Israeli Occupation.

In turn, the PA said it had asked the Universal Postal Union to notify member states that exclusive Palestinian postal codes were to be established.

The Palestinian Minister of Communications Ishaq Sidr told reporters in Ramallah at the PA headquarters, "From April, postal items that do not bear a Palestinian postal code will not be processed, adding that, "it is a question of asserting Palestinian rights."

Sidr said that establishment of postal codes would also help put an end to shipment seizures, a commonly occuring incident, noting that six tons of packages had been held up in Jordan since 2018.

The Head of International Relations at the Palestinian Post Imad Al-Tumayzi indicated to AFP that the Israeli Occupation regularly obstruct delivery processes. By using postal codes, it "will prevent [the Israeli Occupation] from seizing postal items that come to Palestine, and will help make theservices more efficient."

"In 2020, we recorded more than 7,000 violations of postal equipment on the Israeli [Occupation] side, whether by opening packages, seizing them or summoning their owners for investigation," Tumayzi said.

Palestinian citizens have complained that due to delivery issues, they regularly resort to using private courier service which is highly costly.

Nothing was mentioned about whether the establishment of postal codes would cut mailing costs.

According to the Wafa news agency, around 500,000 buildings in the West Bank have already been given a postcode. 

A West Bank postal service worker said that the establishment of postal codes are "more symbolic than practical," adding that it can "only truly be implemented when the PA controls ports or airports." Notably, the West Bank has no operational civilian airport.

The establishment of postcodes will also soon be extended to the Gaza Strip, which is currently under Israeli Occupation blockade.