Arutz Sheva included a statement from B’nai B’rith CEO Daniel S. Mariaschin in their coverage of a possible policy change that would allow Jerusalem-born American citizens to list “Jerusalem, Israel” as their place of birth on U.S. passports.

​US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo said that the Trump administration is considering allowing US citizens born in Jerusalem to list “Jerusalem, Israel” on their US passports.

While the Trump administration recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and moved the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, State Department policy still does not allow for the indication of Jerusalem as being a part of Israel on passports of US citizens.

“We’re constantly evaluating the way we handle what can be listed on passports,” Pompeo told JNS.“It’s something that’s actively being looked at.”

The announcement comes as a major development after a State Department spokesperson told JNS in October, “The president has made clear that the specific boundaries of Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem remain subject to final-status negotiations between the [Israelis and the Palestinian Arabs].”

“We have not changed our practice regarding place of birth on passports or Consular Reports of Birth Abroad at this time.”
Pro-Israel organizations praised the development to JNS.

B’nai B’rith International CEO and executive vice president Dan Mariaschin praised the development, saying, “it’s encouraging news. This is a logical follow-on to moving the US embassy to Jerusalem, and in the process, corrects a historical wrong which denied this designation for over seven decades.”

“The [US] Supreme Court has determined that the passport issue is within the purview of the administration, which has recognized Jerusalem as the capital of Israel,” American Zionist Movement president Richard Heideman said. “It is most appropriate for passports for those born in Jerusalem, such as my three grandchildren born at Hadassah Hospital, to be listed as born in Jerusalem, Israel and not simply born in Jerusalem as if they were stateless, which they are not.”
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“This is a very important and significant decision which affirms the long-standing fact that Jerusalem is Israel and isn’t in “dispute,’” said Republican Jewish Coalition executive director Matt Brooks. “Once again, President Trump and his administration enacts a policy that the Jewish community has long sought and underscores why he’s the most pro-Israel President in history.”