US court weighs passport dispute over Jerusalem
Federal Appeals Court considering whether American born in capital can list Israel as birthplace
WASHINGTON (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.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.