Secretary of State Mike Pompeo announced citizens of the United States born in Jerusalem can now list their birthplace as “Israel” on their passports.
Announced on Thursday, the move is another show of support for Israel as Jerusalem is a hotly disputed city between Israelis and Palestinians. In 2017, the Trump administration recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, paving the way for the passport change.
“Effective immediately, the State Department will allow U.S. citizens born in Jerusalem to elect to list their place of birth as ‘Israel.’ Applicants born in Jerusalem will be able to request either ‘Jerusalem’ or ‘Israel’ as their place of birth on consular documents,” Pompeo said.
Citizens born in the city who choose not to specify “Israel” on their applications will continue to have “Jerusalem” listed as their birthplace on consular materials. The announcement has no impact on U.S. citizens born in other parts of Israel and Palestinian-controlled areas.
“The United States recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and its seat of government but continues to take no position on the boundaries of Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem,” Pompeo added in a statement. “This matter remains subject to final status negotiations between the two Parties. The United States remains strongly committed to facilitating a lasting peace agreement.”
President Trump has made Israel the centerpiece of his Middle East foreign policy. In January, the president announced a peace plan for the region, which Trump dubbed the “deal of the century.” The plan called for a Palestinian state with its capital in east Jerusalem in return for the recognition of major Israeli settlements. The plan was met with forceful denunciation by Palestinians who said that it favored Israel.
The Trump administration successfully helped negotiate historic normalization agreements between Israel and the Arab countries of Bahrain, the United Arab Emirates, and Sudan. They were the first Arab nations to do so since Egypt (1979) and Jordan (1994). The deals were announced over the past few months, and the agreements with the UAE and Bahrain were signed during a White House ceremony in September. Sudan’s plan to normalize relations was announced last week.
The announcement of the passport change comes just days before the election and will be a welcome development to pro-Israel voters. Trump’s opponent Joe Biden has lauded the president’s efforts to advance peace between Israel and other Middle Eastern countries and said that, if elected, he would not move the U.S. Embassy back to Tel Aviv from Jerusalem.
