Court weighs US passport dispute over Jerusalem

WASHINGTON (AP) ? A federal appeals court has some tough questions about the politically sensitive issue of whether Americans born in Jerusalem can list Israel as their birthplace on their U.S. passports.

A 2002 law says yes, but the State Department says no. That led to a lawsuit by parents of an American boy who was born in a Jerusalem hospital. The United States has refused to recognize any nation's sovereignty over Jerusalem since Israel's creation in 1948, so the boy's passport only says "Jerusalem" as his birthplace.

At a hearing Tuesday, the three judges had pointed questions for lawyers representing both sides ? the State Department and the parents.

The hearing came on the same day that President Barack Obama heads to Israel for his first visit there as president.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/89ae8247abe8493fae24405546e9a1aa/Article_2013-03-19-Born%20in%20Jerusalem-Passport/id-b9cedd5b3cde44388a4e1dd03b5b1fec

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