(Jerusalem Post) Janine Zacharia - The U.S. District Court in Washington Tuesday dismissed lawsuits filed by two American-Israeli couples which had argued that the U.S. Embassy in Tel Aviv should designate Israel as the country of birth on their children's passports in accordance with U.S. law. Judge Gladys Kessler ruled that the federal court did not have jurisdiction over the case since it involved a political matter and was the purview of the executive branch. The place of birth of children born in Jerusalem to American citizens is currently registered as "Jerusalem," with no country designated. Section 214 of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act of 2003, "United States Policy with Respect to Jerusalem as the Capital of Israel," states that a U.S. citizen born in Jerusalem can choose to have Israel listed in his passport as his country of birth.
2004-09-09 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive