ADL Hails U.S. Decision Allowing American Citizens Born in Jerusalem to Have "Israel" Listed on Passport

New York, NY, October 29, 2020 ... ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) welcomed today’s announcement by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo that American citizens, born in Jerusalem, can finally choose to have their city of birth listed as “Jerusalem, Israel” on their U.S. passports.  

Through advocacy and in the courts, ADL consistently has opposed the longtime State Department policy that did not permit Americans born in Jerusalem to list Israel as their country of birth on their passport, an anomaly that did not apply to other Americans born abroad. 

 “We welcome the U.S. Government’s reversal of this nonsensical policy,” said Jonathan A. Greenblatt, ADL CEO and National Director. “U.S. citizens born in Jerusalem have the right, as does every U.S. national born abroad, to list both their city and country of birth.”

Allowing US passport holders to choose to list "Jerusalem, Israel" does not preclude other U.S. citizens to choose to list only “Jerusalem,” be they Jew, Arab or other, nor does it impact future status discussions of the city in the context of Israeli-Palestinian negotiations.