Country code Palestinian Territories, +970 or 00970?
There are two spellings for the Palestinian Territories area code, namely +970 and 00970. Which area code do you have to use? What is the difference between the two country codes for the Palestinian Territories and what are the different versions for?
The country code of Palestinian Territories that starts with a “+” (i.e. +970) is the so-called international code (international spelling). It is primarily used in the mobile communications sector. Most cell phones can make an international call to the Palestinian Territories when you use the +970 area code. This applies to almost every country in the world.
Unfortunately, there are phones (especially older models) that do not support the international spelling. The prefix Palestinian Territories with leading zeros (00970) is then used on these phones. The leading zeros are also referred to as the so-called traffic elimination number. When you call, they indicate that it is an international call.
Problem: Access code and area code 00970
In fact, the 00970 variant is used for calls to the Palestinian Territories, especially in Europe. In other countries of the world, the international code 00970 will not work. Example: In the USA, international calls to the Palestinian Territories begin with 011. An international call here begins with the area code 011970.
Conclusion
For calls from UK to the Palestinian Territories you can always use the country code 00970. In other countries, the two leading zeros must be replaced by a different access code. The international dialing code (+970) for the Palestinian Territories works in all countries of the world. However, it is not supported in all networks and by all telephone devices.
Example of phone calls to the Palestinian Territories
To clarify the use of the international dialing code for the Palestinian Autonomous Territories (+970 or 00970), here is another example:
You want to call the number 456789 with the area code 0123 in the Palestinian Territories. In this case you can use the following numbers (from UK/Europe):
00970 123 456789
If you use a mobile phone, the following notation also applies worldwide:
+970 123 456789