US updates passport policy for Jerusalem-born citizens with Israel as birthplace option

US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday, October 29, announced that the US citizens born in the disputed region of Jerusalem can now elect to list their birthplace as either ‘Jerusalem’ or ‘Israel’ on their passports and other documents.

While taking to Twitter, Pompeo informed that the new passport policy was in keeping with the Trump administration's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital. He also added that the United States remained committed to lasting peace between Palestinians and Israelis. 

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Trump’s Middle East peace plan 

The recent move comes after the US amended scientific cooperation agreements with Israel. The agreement, signed on October 28, lifted the US ban on funding scientific research projects in the West Bank and Golan Heights, areas occupied by Israel since 1967. The changes, enacted just days before the US presidential election, is believed to be aimed at shoring up the support of evangelical Christians and other Israel backers. 

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The Trump administration has been aggressive about its foreign policy towards Israel much to the dislike of Palestinian leaders. Back in 2017, US President Donald Trump announced his administration's decision to recognise Jerusalem as Israel’s capital and move its embassy from Tel Aviv to the holy city. In January, Trump had also unveiled the Middle East peace plan to resolve the Israel-Palestine conflict but it was rejected by Palestinian leaders in its entirety.

The Trump administration, however, has succeeded in improving ties between Israel and the Arab world. The US President had brokered a peace deal to normalise diplomatic relations of Israel with the UAE, Bahrain and Sudan. Moreover, last year, the US announced a reversal of its decades-long policy on Israeli settlements in the West Bank, calling the occupation not necessarily a violation of international law.

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