Jerusalem-born Americans can’t have “Israel” in passports – US court

The US Supreme court ruled by a majority against the parents of 12-year Menachem Binyamin Zivotofsky born in Jerusalem who waged a long battle to change his American passport to include Israel. A majority heeded the State Department’s warning that the change would “provoke uproar through the Arab and Muslim world.” State’s manual says: "For a person born in Jerusalem, write JERUSALEM as the place of birth in the passport. Do not write Israel, Jordan or West Bank." Had the Zivotofsky’s won their battle, 50,000 US citizens born in Jerusalem could have used the precedent. The court's four liberal members — including its only three Jews — sided with the administration. Justice Elena Kagan intimated that the court would have ruled the same way if Palestinians born in Jerusalem wanted to add “Palestine.” But Chief Justice John Roberts and Justices Antonin Scalia and Samuel Alito dissented, citing the law passed by Congress, allowing Americans born in Jerusalem to have Israel listed as their place of birth on their passports. Justice Scalia chided the State Department for wanting to "make nice with the Palestinians."