International

State Dept still won’t allow US citizens born in Jerusalem to record Israel as place of birth

Americans born in Jerusalem will still not be able to list “Israel” as their birthplace on passports despite President Trump’s move to recognize the city as the Israeli capital. 

“At this time, there are no changes to our current practices regarding place of birth on Consular Reports of Birth Abroad and U.S. Passports,” the State Department told The Associated Press on Thursday. 

{mosads}The department policy currently states that American citizens born in Jerusalem can only list the city on their passport as opposed to listing Israel as well, according to the AP.

American citizens born in Jerusalem prior to 1948 are able to list Palestine as the place of their birth.

Israel was officially established as a Jewish state in 1948. 

The president on Wednesday announced that the U.S. would recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, along with plans to relocate the U.S. Embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city. 

The move has sparked backlash from Arabs and Palestinians, who have long hoped to claim Jerusalem as the capital of a future Palestinian state. 

Trump’s move is a departure from the common consensus held by the international community, whose embassies have been historically based in Tel Aviv.