Easy decision

The US supreme court is projected to determine in the fall the status of Jerusalem, including whether to designate the holy city as part of Israel.

Whether it is the White House or the US Congress that will reach that decision is of little interest to our region. What counts is the US position on Jerusalem. 

At issue for the US court intervention is a 2002 item of legislation that directed the US State Department to refer to Jerusalem, in US passports, as belonging to Israel.

At the time, former US president George Bush went along with the amendment.

Now President Barack Obama insists, and correctly so, that placing Jerusalem in Israel would be tantamount to an official US recognition of Jerusalem as an Israeli city, at a time the US government refuses to recognise it as such.

Not wishing to diminish the importance of the US highest court, it should be remembered that the status of Jerusalem has already been decided by the UN and its various specialised agencies as an international city.

The highest judicial organ in the US should have full faith and give credit to international law by approving the designation of Jerusalem as an international city in accordance with UN resolutions, and not give the impression, in any way, that the status of Jerusalem is still open in the US to conjecture or adjudication, as this would send the message to the international community that the US does not comply with international law or UN resolutions.

Obama is right in admonishing various government agencies against contradicting the official stance of Washington on Jerusalem.

The US cannot ill afford to add to the reasons it is poorly liked in many parts of the world.