Tuesday, March 27, 2012

What is the Capital of Israel?

Americans Stand with Israel
by Bee Sting
Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Yesterday, One Jerusalem, reported the following:
[03.26.2012]
Supreme Court Sets Back Obama Administration for Ignoring Jerusalem Israel
In an overwhelming 8-1 decision, the United States Supreme Court, with Chief Justice Roberts writing for the majority, rejected the Obama Administration's assertion that the Executive Branch has exclusive power to make all facets of foreign policy.
In a case financially supported by One Jerusalem, involving a young man born of American parents in Jerusalem, the Court ruled that the Executive Branch's contention that United States passports issued in Jerusalem not include the word Israel can be challenged in the courts.
For years, Republican and Democrat administrations have deliberately refused to recognize in US passports that Jerusalem is part of Israel. Congress has contested this policy but the Executive Branch, in this case the State Department, has maintained undisputed jurisdiction over this issue.
Today's decision allows judicial review of this executive branch contention.
To learn more about the case you can listen to the attorneys in the case as they discussed it on a One Jerusalem conference call.
You can also find details of today's decision here.
One Jerusalem helped finance the prosecution of this important case and salutes the attorneys Nathan and Alyssa Lewin.
To my knowledge, the world in general, and the USA specifically, recognizes the seat of government - the Capital of each country, except for the State of Israel.  Israel's capital is Jerusalem.  The USA has refused to move its Embassy to Jerusalem under each president and State Department, but that does not change the fact that Jerusalem is Israel's capital.  
This morning, to verify Israel's capital, I found the following on the CIA "World Fact Book":

MIDDLE EAST :: ISRAEL
(ALSO SEE SEPARATE GAZA STRIP AND WEST BANK ENTRIES)
PAGE LAST UPDATED ON FEBRUARY 23, 2012
Flag of Israel
(CONTAINS DESCRIPTION)
Location of Israel
CLICK FLAG OR MAP TO ENLARGE Opens in New Window
Map of Israel
CLICK MAP TO ENLARGE Opens in New Window
Photos of Israel
Navigation ArrowVIEW 9 PHOTOS Opens in New Window
OF ISRAEL
EXPAND ALL | CO
Field info displayed for all countries in alpha order.
name: Jerusalemgeographic coordinates: 31 46 N, 35 14 Etime difference: UTC+2 (7 hours ahead of Washington, DC during Standard Time)daylight saving time: +1hr, begins first Friday in April; ends the Sunday between the holidays of Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippurnote: Israel proclaimed Jerusalem as its capital in 1950, but the US, like all other countries, maintains its Embassy in Tel Aviv
Jerusalem is listed as the Capital of Israel. There it is, right on the CIA's World "fact book"!  If the USA wishes to be like "all" other countries and refuse to move their Embassy to Jerusalem, that does not change the fact that Jerusalem is Israel's capital.

If the world, including the USA, refuses to acknowledge Israel's capital and wishes to keep their Embassies in Tel Aviv, well, you can't force a horse to water, nor can you force nations to respect the Sovereignty of the State of Israel. 

However, when a new administration is elected in November, I hope the new President of the United States of America chooses to honor Israel's right to choose its own capital, by moving the USA's embassy to Jerusalem, with the agreement of Congress. The "Executive Branch, in this case the State Department should not hold jurisdiction over this issue" according to the Supreme Court, nor should any nation have the right to decide another nation's "Capital".


for more, see Weasel Zippers, Obama State Department: No, Jerusalem Is Not Part Of Israel…