If you were born of American parents in Frankfurt, your passport would reflect that you were born in Germany. Same for a child born in any country in the world. The place of birth would reflect the country in which you are born.
If someone was born to American parents in Jerusalem, can her American passport say she was born in Israel? Its been a matter of contention for over a decade, but now the US Supreme Court has decided that the answer is no. So the child has NO BIRTH PLACE OR COUNTRY.
Israel formally annexed the eastern part of Jerusalem, which is in the West Bank, some years after it took over the West Bank in the 1967 war. The US, does not recognize Jerusalem as belonging to any country. But, Israel recognizes it as the capital, and Israel maintains embassies in Tel Aviv.
In 2003, a US law called the Foreign Relations Authorization Act included a provision that for any US citizen who was born in Jerusalem, the secretary of state shall, upon the request of the citizen or the citizens legal guardian, record the place of birth as Israel.
http://www.gpo.gov/fdsys/pkg/PLAW-107publ228/html/PLAW-107publ228.htm President George W. Bush signed the bill into law. After Obama took office, the State Department acting from orders issued by Obama, began refusing to register a child born in Jerusalem as born in Israel.
Today the Supreme Court ruled that the executive branch is in the right and that Congress overstepped by writing this little section of the law. Issuing passports recording Israel as the country of birth of Jerusalem-born citizens contradicts the executive branchs exclusive power to recognize foreign sovereigns, the justices wrote . So if youre an American and want your kid born in Israel, try not to be in Jerusalem when the labor begins.
Now do you see the problem? Obama, being a muslim can not have the US uphold the law signed by President Bush. If he did, then he would be acknowledging the right of Israel to their own capital and sending a message that Jerusalem is indeed part of Israel.
3jack wrote:
Neither is it your call to disagree with a Supreme Court ruling and blame it on the President.