Court: U.S. Doesn’t Have to List Israel on Jerusalem Passports

Division... what division... maybe need to look closer!!!


http://www.trunews.com/court-u-s-doesnt-have-to-list-israel-on-jerusalem-passports/

Court: U.S. Doesn’t Have to List Israel on Jerusalem Passports

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A federal appeals court has for a second time thrown out a case challenging the State Department’s refusal to list Israel as the birthplace of children born in Jerusalem. The court reiterated an earlier decision that Congress had no right to mandate that Jerusalem was a part of Israel for passport purposes. That decision, the court said, was solely that of the State Department and the executive branch.

The case revolved around a challenge to the State Department’s policy based on the Congressional law, which stated that the United States recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. The law entails numerous implications, one of them being Israel ought to appear as the country on passports issued in Jerusalem. Currently, no country is associated with Jerusalem on U.S. passports.

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http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/Pro-Israel-groups-slam-US-court-decision-on-Jerusalem-passports-320924

Pro-Israel groups slam US court decision on Jerusalem passports
By MICHAEL WILNER
07/24/2013 19:49

American Jewish Committee expects controversial ruling to be petitioned to the US Supreme Court.
Western Wall
Western Wall Photo: www.goisrael.com

WASHINGTON -- Jewish and pro-Israel groups in the United States are expressing outrage over a federal appeals court decision on Monday that confirmed the inability of American citizens born in Jerusalem to list Israel as their birthplace on their passports.

In the case, Zivotofsky v. the Secretary of State, the court ruled that the president retains the ability to determine sovereignty over Congress based on constitutional grounds. Congress has pushed against the White House through several administrations hoping to change US policy on the status of Jerusalem.
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The State Department, through Democratic and Republican administrations, has refused to directly declare Jerusalem the Israeli capital or indirectly declare the city Israeli territory through passport listings.

"The court has effectively given a stamp of approval to the offensive State Department policy that singles out Israel for 'special' treatment," Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, said in a statement. "All other American citizens born abroad may choose to list a city or area of birth instead of a country."

"Even Taiwan-born US citizens are permitted to identify Taiwan as their birthplace, despite protests from China," Foxman added.

Contacted by The Jerusalem Post, the Israeli embassy in Washington declined to comment on the decision.

In an amicus brief, the American Jewish Committee argued that section 214(d) of the contended law, the 2003 Foreign Relations Authorization Act, was indeed constitutional-- and expects the case to be petitioned to the US Supreme Court.

"The United States position on the status of Jerusalem has long been at odds with the strong views of the Jewish community but we hope and believe that this law – which leaves 50,000 Americans without an official birth country – will be reinstated by the Supreme Court and enforced by the State Department,” said JFNA Board of Trustees Chair Michael Siegal.

The Union of Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America said that Jerusalem's status as Israel's capital is a "factual reality," and that it supports an appeal of the ruling to the US Supreme Court.