Supreme Court dragged into fight over Jerusalem

To whom does Jerusalem belong? This is a fundamental question that has cost countless lives over the years, and is the subject of a pointed debate between the administration and Congress, which has now come before the United States Supreme Court for resolution.

WASHINGTON, DC (Catholic Online) - Successive administrations have remained neutral on the question of whether Jerusalem belongs to the Israelis or the Palestinians. The Israelis and the Palestinians each have their own opinions, and they routinely murder one another over them. In 2002, President George W. Bush signed into law a provision that would allow the children of American citizens born in Jerusalem to list Israel as their country of birth, however Bush was opposed to this provision, only signing it as part of a much larger agreement. He made added a note to the provision, that the policy of listing Jerusalem only, and not a country, for Americans born in the city, would remain.  This is what happened in the case of nine-year-old Menachem Zivotofsk, whose parents are petitioning the Supreme Court for the right to list Israel as their son's country of birth. Israel has already claimed Jerusalem is that country's capital. But the United States, reluctant to spark conflict between Jews and Muslims, has remained silent on those claims and continues to operate its embassy in Tel Aviv. The policy of many successive US presidential administrations has been that the question of Jerusalem's ownership should be the topic of negotiation between Jews, Muslims, and Christians, all for whom the city is considered holy. To this day, State Department instructions say that for persons born in Jerusalem they are to list the place of birth as Jerusalem only. The Zivotofsky family claims that other federal agencies already at knowledge their son's place of birth as being Jerusalem, Israel. They also argue that persons born in Taiwan, are allowed to list Taiwan as a country of birth, rather than China, despite Chinese insistence that the island belongs to the People's Republic. So far, federal courts have refused to comment on the matter and have said they have no authority to make a decision on the question. They have labeled it a political dispute and have repeatedly suggested that the executive and legislative branches should resolve the question amongst themselves without involving the courts. The Supreme Court has not announced whether or when it will make a decision on the case. The current proceedings are merely arguments on the issue, and the question of whether or not the 2002 law should be enforced will be decided later.

---

'Help Give every Student and Teacher FREE resources for a world-class Moral Catholic Education'