PA wants new name for Gaza, W. Bank

GAZA, April 16 (UPI) -- The Palestinian Authority cabinet wants "Occupied Palestine" used when referring to the West Bank and the Gaza Strip.

In a decision made during the weekly meeting of the government, the Palestinian Authority instructed its representatives and media to act accordingly, the Jerusalem Post reported Thursday. Until now, the terms Palestinian Territories and West Bank and Gaza Strip were used when referring to the two areas.

Hamas, Hezbollah, al-Qaida and other radical Islamic groups, have always employed Occupied Palestine.

The PA said its decision came at the request of several Palestinian journalists, writers and politicians who reportedly had been urging a halt to using Israeli and Western terminology.