US court weighs passport dispute over Jerusalem
Federal Appeals Court considering whether American born in capital can list Israel as birthplace
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleWASHINGTON (AP) — A federal appeals court has some tough questions about the politically sensitive issue of whether Americans born in Jerusalem can list Israel as their birthplace on their US passports.
A 2002 law says yes, but the State Department says no. That led to a lawsuit by parents of an American boy who was born in a Jerusalem hospital. The United States has refused to recognize any nation’s sovereignty over Jerusalem since Israel’s creation in 1948, so the boy’s passport only says “Jerusalem” as his birthplace.
At a hearing Tuesday, the three judges had pointed questions for lawyers representing both sides — the State Department and the parents.
The hearing came on the same day that President Barack Obama heads to Israel for his first visit there as president.
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