Israeli President Reuven Rivlin (R) and Governor of the Bank of Israel Karnit Flug (L) attend a ceremony uncovering the new 20 and 100 NIS banknotes in Jerusalem, on Nov. 22, 2017. Israel will distribute new banknotes of Israeli New Shekel (NIS) in 20 and 100, said the governor of the Bank of Israel (BOI) Karnit Flug on Wednesday. (Xinhua/JINI)
JERUSALEM, Nov. 22 (Xinhua) -- Israel will distribute new banknotes of Israeli New Shekel (NIS) in 20 and 100, said the governor of the Bank of Israel (BOI) Karnit Flug on Wednesday.
The new banknotes, which will start circulating from Thursday, present advanced standards of security, innovation and accessibility, and contain a variety of security features against counterfeiting, according to the BOI.
The new NIS 20 banknote is red and bears the portrait of the Poetess Rachel Bluwstein, with a length of 129 mm. The new NIS 100 banknote bears the portrait of the poetess Leah Goldberg. It is orange, and is 143 mm long.
The BOI clarifies that banknotes from Series B of the new shekel, which are still in use by the public, will continue to serve as legal tender for a number of years, and will continue to circulate in parallel with the new banknotes.
Since the process of replacing the banknotes is gradual, the public is not required to take any action at this stage to replace the banknotes, said the bank, adding that the BOI will publish guidelines concerning the replacement of banknotes from Series B.
With the objective of increasing the public's awareness of the new banknotes' entry into circulation, and the public's acquaintance with the security features included in the banknotes, the BOI will begin a public awareness campaign among the general public, entitled "Easy to check, easy to authenticate" through media outlets that are accessible to various population groups.
Among other things, information flyers and pamphlets will be distributed in five languages through bank branches, the post office, and various commercial and public entities.
In recent months, the BOI has worked to notify and provide guidance to the companies and major entities in the economy that use cash, regarding the upcoming entry into circulation of the new banknotes and how to use them.
In addition, the BOI provided advance samples of the new banknotes to banks, and to the importers and operators of automatic vending machines, so that their machines could be calibrated and adjusted for the new banknotes.
