Jerusalem-born American citizens may now list Israel as their birthplace on passports

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo on Thursday announced that U.S. citizens born in the Israeli capital of Jerusalem may now name Israel as their birthplace on consular documents including passports.

People born in Jerusalem may select Israel or Jerusalem as their birthplace on the documents.

"Those U.S. citizens born in Jerusalem who do not specify their place of birth on applications for consular services as 'Israel' will continue to be issued documents that indicate their place of birth as 'Jerusalem,'" the statement from Pompeo explains. "Other guidance on listing of place of birth in Israel, the Gaza Strip, the Golan Heights, Jerusalem, and the West Bank remains unchanged."

President Trump in 2017 recognized Jerusalem as the capital of the Jewish State and called for moving the U.S. embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. The American embassy officially opened in the Israeli capital in 2018.

Pompeo also called upon the Palestinians to participate in peace negotiations:

"As the President stated in his proclamation, the United States recognizes Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and its seat of government but continues to take no position on the boundaries of Israeli sovereignty in Jerusalem," Pompeo said. "This matter remains subject to final status negotiations between the two Parties. The United States remains strongly committed to facilitating a lasting peace agreement. The President’s Vision for Peace provides a realistic and achievable pathway for that peace to happen and I encourage the Palestinians to come to the table and negotiate."