After ZOA's Supreme Court Amicus Brief In Jerusalem Passport Case Cited Many
White House Web Site References To "Jerusalem, Israel" - White House
Suddenly Removes "Israel"

August 10, 2011
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Morton A. Klein
Phone: 212-481-1500
http://www.zoa.org/sitedocuments/pressrelease_view.asp?pressreleaseID=2091

ZOA Condemns White House for Transparent and Outrageous Tactic

On August 5, 2011, the Zionist Organization of America (ZOA) filed an amicus
(“friend of the court”) brief with the U.S. Supreme Court in support of a
petition by Menachem Binyamin Zivotofsky, an American citizen born in
Jerusalem who was denied his right under U.S. law to have “Israel” listed as
his birthplace on his passport. In refusing to implement the law, the State
Department claimed that enforcing it and listing “Israel” would infringe on
the president’s foreign policy powers. The ZOA’s brief refuted that claim,
showing that many departments and agencies in the Executive branch –
including the Executive Office of the President – routinely refer to
Jerusalem as part of Israel, without any evident impact on any presidential
power, and thus listing “Israel” on a passport would have no such impact
either. Recognizing the persuasive power of this aspect of the ZOA’s
argument, the White House has engaged in a shameful and outrageous tactic,
this week suddenly changing references to “Jerusalem, Israel” on its Web
site to “Jerusalem” only, with no mention of Israel.

Among the many governmental references to “Jerusalem, Israel” described in
the ZOA’s amicus brief were several photos posted on the White House Web
site, which were taken on the trip that Vice President Joe Biden and his
wife, Dr. Jill Biden, made to the Middle East last year. One photo was
captioned: “Vice President Joe Biden meets with Israeli Prime Minister
Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem, Israel, March 9, 2010” (emphasis added).
The caption to another photo read: “Vice President Joe Biden laughs with
Israeli President Shimon Peres in Jerusalem, Israel, March 9, 2010”
(emphasis added). The caption to a third photo said: “Vice President Joe
Biden has breakfast with Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair . . . in
Jerusalem, Israel, March 10, 2010” (emphasis added). Each of these photos
is described as an “Official White House Photo.”

Today, the New York Sun reported that the White House has removed these
references to Jerusalem being in Israel. Indeed, on the White House Web
site, the captions to these photos now refer to “Jerusalem” only. The
reference to Israel has suddenly been deleted.

Morton A. Klein, ZOA’s National President, and Susan B. Tuchman, Esq., the
director of the ZOA’s Center for Law and Justice, condemned the White House
for altering the references to “Jerusalem, Israel” on its Web site: We are
appalled that the White House would resort to such a transparent and
shameful tactic in an effort to diminish the strength of the ZOA’s argument
in its amicus brief to the Supreme Court. But suddenly removing the White
House’s references to ‘Jerusalem, Israel’ on its Web site will not help the
U.S. government’s case before the Supreme Court. If anything, the White
House’s actions show that the government recognizes the strength of the ZOA’s
argument: Given how frequently and routinely the White House and many U.S.
departments and agencies have referred to Jerusalem as part of Israel, it is
simply absurd to suggest that permitting Menachem Zivotofsky and other
Americans born in Jerusalem to have ‘Israel’ listed on their passports will
have any impact on any presidential power to make foreign policy or
recognize foreign sovereigns. If Jerusalem-born Americans wish to identify
with Israel by having it recorded as their birthplace on their passports –
which is plainly their right under legislation passed by Congress and signed
into law by President George W. Bush – that right should be upheld and
enforced.

“President Obama and his administration should be ashamed of themselves for
taking these outrageous actions which will surely do nothing to help the
government’s case.”