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July 22,
2005
Union
of Orthodox Jewish Congregations
Applauds U.S. House Passage of
Provisions on Integrity
of Jerusalem in
Foreign Relations Authorization Act; Calls on
Senate to Enact as
Well; Appeals to Bush Administration
to Drop Opposition
Today, the Union of
Orthodox Jewish Congregations of America - the nation's largest
Orthodox Jewish umbrella organization, through its Institute for
Public Affairs, applauded yesterday's passage by the U.S. House of
Representatives of the Foreign Relations Authorization Act
including provisions recognizing the integrity of Jerusalem as the
capital of the State of Israel.
The bill as passed contains three provisions consistent with
longstanding U.S. policy recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of
Israel:
1) A provision which
ensures that in issuing a U.S. passport to a U.S. citizen born in
Jerusalem, the State Department shall, upon the request of the
newborn's guardian, list 'Israel' as the place of birth. (This
directs a change in current practice under which the listing is
simply 'Jerusalem' with no country identified.)
2) A provision which disallows the use of federal funds to operate
the U.S. Consulate in East Jerusalem unless, like all other
consulates around the globe, that consulate is under the
supervision and authority of the U.S. Ambassador to Israel.
(Currently, the East Jerusalem Consulate reports directly to the
State Department as if it were an embassy in a separate nation.)
3) A provision that requires and funds expended to publish any
official U.S. Government document listing nations and their
capital cities to list Jerusalem as the capital of the State of
Israel.
Nathan Diament, director of public policy for the Orthodox Union,
issued the following statement in reaction to yesterday's House
action:
"The Orthodox Jewish community is deeply gratified that the U.S.
House of Representatives, on a bipartisan basis, has enacted these
provisions as part of the Foreign Relations Authorization bill. It
has long been the policy of the United States to recognize that
sovereign nations have the right to designate their capital
cities. In the case of Israel, that capital is the city which has
been the heart of the Jewish People for millennia -- the holy city
of Jerusalem -- which is, and must remain, the eternal and
indivisible capital of the State of Israel.
The provisions passed by
the House are simple and reasonable implementations of standing
U.S. policy which should not be ignored on the basis of
"diplomatic sensitivities."
We call upon friends of
Israel and the Jewish community in the U.S. Senate to ensure these
provisions are maintained in the final version of this
legislation.
While we appreciate the
Administration's institutional interest to direct America's
foreign policy, we nonetheless appeal to the President - as one
who has been a staunch friend of Israel throughout his tenure - to
withdraw the Administration's opposition to these modest and
sensible provisions and allow them to implement U.S. policy."
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