Palestinians change their name following UN bid
Abbas orders government to officially change name of Palestinian Authority to 'State of Palestine' 

January 6, 2013
Ynet News
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4329200,00.html \t _blank http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4329200,00.html

The Palestinian president has ordered his government to officially change the name of the Palestinian Authority to State of Palestine. 
  
The move follows the November decision by the United Nations to http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4313633,00.html \t _blank upgrade the Palestinians' status to that of a non-member observer state.
 
President http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3479383,00.html \t _blank Mahmoud Abbas said Sunday that all official Palestinian stamps, stationery and documents will now bear the new name.
 

A statement from his office said the move was aimed at enhancing Palestinian sovereignty on the ground and was a step on the way to real independence. http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3284752,00.html \t _blank Israel still controls most of the West Bank.
 
Israel objected to the Palestinian statehood bid at the UN, calling it a unilateral step aimed at bypassing direct peace negotiations. Abbas denied that.