On Monday, 30 September, 2002, President Bush signed a piece of legislation, the Foreign Relations Authorization Act 2003, which among its requirements calls on the administration to identify Jerusalem as Israel's capital. These actions come during the most volatile period in the Middle East, as Israel continues its aggression against the Palestinians and America is preparing to wage war on Iraq.

Congress has for long pressed successive presidents to officially recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and to relocate the American Embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem. However, this has been very controversial, as the status of Jerusalem remains disputed, given that east Jerusalem is occupied territory that Palestinians hope will one day become the capital of their future independent state.

The legislation adds three mandatory provisions that change the way the United States treats the city. First, it states that the administration cannot spend money on the US consulate in Jerusalem unless the consulate is under the supervision of the US ambassador to Israel. Second, any US government document that lists countries and their capitals will have to identify Jerusalem as the capital of Israel. Third, in official US documents such as passports, birth certificates and nationality certifications, U.S. citizens born in Jerusalem may insist that the documents record their place of birth as Israel.

This legislation seems to have complete disregard to the sensitivity of the subject matter, and while it will be greeted with much joy by Israel it is sure to inflame Palestinian and Arab resentment, as US Policy is dangerously paralleling Israel's views. While Bush tried to cover up the significance of the Bill, by claiming that US policy toward Jerusalem "has not changed," this move is clearly adding salt to a wound, as Palestinians continue to suffer under Israel's oppressive occupation.

As the administration tries to downplay the implications inherent in the legislation, the message is loud and clear to the Palestinians that America has all but lost it stance as the neutral peace broker between the parties. The legislation undermines peace initiatives brokered by the US and go against their foreign policy, UN resolutions and international law. A great blow has been dealt to all Arabs, the Muslim world, Christians and in particular Palestinians and the aspiration to one day have east Jerusalem as their capital. The fact that America officially claims the issue of Jerusalem should be determined in "permanent status" talks appears to be only a hollow statement.

The Palestinian Initiative for the Promotion of Global Dialogue and Democracy (MIFTAH) urges the Bush administration to be clear and stern on this issue so as not to deepen resentment towards American foreign policy. MIFTAH warns against any attempt to move the US embassy from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem as this would further inflame the current conflict between the Palestinians and the Israelis. It is vital that the administration resists blind-sighted measures from Congress that can endanger US interests and that hamper international efforts aimed at resolving this grave situation.