The U.S. Supreme Court will hear arguments on Monday over adding one word to U.S. passports - a seemingly small issue with major foreign policy implications.
The case, Zivotofsky v. Kerry, centers around whether U.S. citizens born in Jerusalem can have the word "Israel" added to their passports. As NPR reported, the United States has said since Israel's founding in 1948 that no country had sovereignty over Jerusalem, pending a peace deal to resolve the matter. Adding the word "Israel" could appear as an implication of U.S. support for Israel's claim to the city.
As the Guardian explains, at issue is a 2002 law that passed by Congress that would allow the addition. The Bush and Obama administrations have refused to enforce the bill on the grounds that foreign policy matters fall under the president's authority. The parents of 12-year-old Menachem Zivotofsky brought the suit in 2003, attempting to force the federal government to allow the change.
Monday's scheduled arguments come at a time of heightened tensions in Jerusalem, with violence and confrontations at the Al-Aqsa compound.
