US alters passport ruling for Jerusalem births

Americans born in Jerusalem can declare Israel as their country of birth in US passports, the Trump administration says, in a reversal of US policy.

Before now, Jerusalem was identified without a country because of its contentious status as Israel's self-declared capital.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem in the 1967 Middle East war and later effectively annexed it in a move not recognised internationally.

The fate of the city is one of the most heated issues between Israel and the Palestinians, with both sides having agreed to negotiate over it in the last stage of peace talks.

The issue of whether Jerusalem-born Americans had the right to declare Israel as their country of birth on their passports reached the US Supreme Court in 2015.

The latest move comes a week before the US elections, in which Republican Donald Trump is standing against Democrat Joe Biden.

The Palestinians have accused President Trump of bias towards Israel and froze relations with his administration in response to his recognition of Jerusalem as Israel's capital.

In January, Mr Trump unveiled a roadmap for peace between Israel and the Palestinians which did not advocate a two-state solution - a formula supported by the international community which envisages an independent Palestinian state existing alongside Israel.

This week, a poll of Arabs in 18 countries across the Middle East and North Africa suggested neither Mr Trump nor Mr Biden were considered good for the region, though most respondents favoured a Biden presidency?

US election 2020: Little faith in Trump or Biden, suggests Arab poll.

US alters passport ruling for Jerusalem births