Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat. Photo: WikiCommons.

Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat criticized Monday’s U.S. Supreme Court ruling that “Jerusalem, Israel” cannot be listed as “place of birth” on the passports of Jerusalem-born Americans.

“Just as Washington is the capital of the United States, London the capital of England, and Paris the capital of France, so Jerusalem was and always will be the capital of Israel, and the heart and soul of the Jewish people,” Barkat said in a statement released to the press.

“In these days in particular, when antisemitism is trying to raise its head and BDS supports the positions of Hamas … we expect the United States to support the State of Israel and to recognize Jerusalem as its capital,” the statement read.

Monday’s Supreme Court ruling abolished a 2002 Congressional law requiring the U.S. government to place “Jerusalem, Israel” on the passports of U.S. citizens born in Jerusalem – if requested by the citizen. The Supreme Court accepted the Obama Administration’s view that the White House, and not Congress, had supremacy over issues concerning passports and diplomatic recognition.

Although the ruling was in keeping with recent U.S. diplomatic policy – which seeks to uphold U.S. neutrality in the region – it nevertheless struck a raw nerve in Israel.

Barkat concluded his statement with a personal appeal to U.S. President Barack Obama to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel.