US to allow Jerusalem-born passport holders to have Israel as birthplace
Move reverses decades of policy under Republican and Democratic presidents which refused to formally recognise Jerusalem as being part of Israel
Jewish men pray at the Western Wall in Jerusalem Old City during Yom Yerushalayim (Jerusalem Day), June 2, 2019. Photo by: JINIPIX
The US is set to allow Jerusalem-born American passport holders to add “Israel” to their birthplaces.
The website Politico quoted an official who confirmed the change, which reverses decades of policy under Republican and Democratic presidents.
Jerusalem-born Americans began seeking to change to their passports almost immediately after Congress passed a law in 1995 recognising Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, but the State Department until now has not allowed the change.
In 2015, the U.S. Supreme Court upheld the Obama administration’s right to disallow the inclusion of “Israel”. President Trump’s 2017 recognised Jerusalem as Israel’s capital in 2017.
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