A Canadian court has ruled that a young man born in Jerusalem has no right to have Israel listed on his passport as his birthplace.
Canada does not recognize Israel`s annexation of Jerusalem after the Six Day War in 1967.
'The fact that I was born there, in Israel, to me that`s a fulfillment of the Jews saying for years, thousands of years, `next year in Jerusalem,`' Eliyahu Veffer, 18, told the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. 'That had been fulfilled with me by being born there.'
In an affidavit, Veffer said the government is denying his right to exercise his religion. The government denied that, saying Jerusalem-born Christians and Muslims also would be unable to list Israel as their birthplace.
Justice Konrad von Finckenstein said that granting Veffer`s wish might be construed as a softening of the Canadian position that Jerusalem is currently an occupied city and hurt the country`s ability to participate in negotiations.
'Passports do not deal with, nor are they a reflection of, a person`s roots, heritage or belief,' Finckenstein said. |