Abbas: Palestine now a state

RAMALLAH, West Bank, Jan. 5 (UPI) -- Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas says future official documents will use the term "State of Palestine."

Abbas said his order applies to all government institutions, including missions in other countries, the official Wafa news agency reported Friday. He said missions in countries that voted against granting the authority the status of a non-member observer state at the United Nations should consult the Palestinian Foreign Ministry.

Qais Abdul Karim, a senior member of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine, said the central council of the Palestinian Liberation Organization plans a meeting to discuss changes that need to be made to recognize the new status.

Sa'ab Erekat, head of the PLO negotiations department, said last Sunday that the authority should draft a new constitution, the Saudi Gazette reported.

Israel and the United States do not recognize the Palestinian Authority as a state.