The State Department is now holding high-level internal discussions of the question of whether Edward B. Lawson, newly-appointed Ambassador to Israel should present his credentials to President Ben Zvi in Jerusalem because it is feared here that such an official appearance by Mr. Lawson in Jerusalem might tend to give the impression that the United States recognized Jerusalem as Israel’s capital.
It is the custom of arriving Ambassadors to pay a formal call on the President of the nation to which they are assigned. Authorities in the Near Eastern Division of the State Department are insisting that American diplomats must avoid appearing in Jerusalem since the United States does not recognize that city as Israel’s rightful capital. President Ben Zvi’s home and office are located at Jerusalem.
It was recalled here that last year instructions were cabled to U.S. diplomats in Israel advising them not to attend the “Conquest of the Desert” exhibition because of fear that such attendance might indicate American recognition of Jerusalem as the capital. It is expected that Ambassador Lawson will leave for Israel in the near future.
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