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Last update - 05:07 05/02/2008 U.S. consulate in J'lem to relocate in bid to speed up birth registration By Daphna Berman, Haaretz Correspondent Tags: united states, consulate  The American Consulate in Jerusalem will relocate from East Jerusalem to the neighborhood of Arnona later this year, a move expected to improve services and slightly decrease the long waiting times to register births of American citizens. "The demand for services for a long time has exceeded our space," Thomas Rogan, U.S. consular section chief in Jerusalem, said Monday. "The facility has been overtaxed, as has our staff." The new offices will be three times larger than the current facilities on Nablus Road, but Rogan says staff size will remain the same. Advertisement Waits to register births of U.S. citizens at the consulate now top six months, a backlog that has enraged Americans and forced some to cancel their travel plans. The earliest possible appointments available for the estimated 90,000 U.S. citizens in the Jerusalem consular district - including the capital, West Bank and Gaza - are in September. Rogan told reporters the consulate suspects that "economic incentives" are behind the latest surge in requests for U.S. citizenship. A recently introduced child tax credit - essentially a cash payment from the U.S. government of up to $1,000 per child for qualifying families - has spurred some families to seek citizenship, he said. "Many people are aware of this [tax credit] and many people who in the past didn't care to register their children as U.S. citizens are now doing it," he said. "We have families with children in their teens coming in - families with five or six children at once." Bookmark to del.icio.us   Prayer change Pope Benedict XVI nixes a reference to Jews` `blindness` over Jesus in a Catholic prayer. Blind and deaf in Jaffa 'The world's first professional deaf-blind theatre company' takes center stage in Jaffa.   1.   Strange 07:38  |  Garry 05/02/08   2.   How will this help? 09:20  |  Yoni R. 05/02/08   3.   Speaking of Birth Certificates. 09:25  |  Maureen Ann 05/02/08   4.   East Jerusalem will need new US Palestine embassy 09:55  |  Chanalau, Tova 05/02/08   5.   consulate will still be in east jerusalem, chanalau, tova 11:14  |  Michelle 05/02/08   6.   THE ARAB US CITIZENS 11:45  |  Simcha 05/02/08   7.   US Consulate moves to Arnona 11:47  |  Tova H 05/02/08   8.   Speeding up registering Israeli kids at US citizens... 14:46  |  David 05/02/08   9.   Birth registrations 23:19  |  Mordecai 05/02/08   10.   Birth registrations 23:19  |  Mordecai 05/02/08

Today Online IAF strike on Hamas police headquarters in Gaza kills seven Responses: 243 Burston: Barack Obama for Prime Minister of Israel Responses: 163 The Israel Factor: Is Obama really pro-Palestinian? Responses: 80 Foreign Min. backs Cairo request to double border forces Responses: 71 Harel & Issacharoff: The 300km problem along Egyptian border Responses: 63 U.K. to fund school trips of understanding to Auschwitz Responses: 95 Rosner's Domain From Super Bowl drama to Super Tuesday drama True or false: Obama is pro-Palestinian, McCain will appoint James Baker Iraq, remember? (WTR) Obama, Clinton and Iran: The vote that made the difference Poll: Do you trust Obama on Israel? More Headlines 02:02 IDF kills nine Hamas men in Gaza, Qassams rain on Sderot 01:33 Egypt warns Hamas against provocations on Gaza border 02:51 Gov't task force mulls international presence in Gaza Strip 20:44 Pope nixes reference to Jews` `blindness` over Jesus in prayer 02:11 Hamas claims responsibility for suicide bombing in Dimona 02:25 Obama strikes first with easy victory over Clinton in Georgia 03:01 Qassams succeed in chasing skilled workers from Sderot factories 00:03 Jordan urges U.S. to pressure Israel to stop Gaza strikes 02:39 Israel no longer the world's 'Mecca' of Jewish studies 23:46 Former IDF chief Dan Shomron hospitalized for apparent stroke 22:19 Father, son suspected of killing man they accused of stealing dog 21:43 Dimona bombing victim's son: Mom was to celebrate her 50th wedding anniversary 00:45 German children's book draws fire for alleged anti-religion bent Previous Editions Select Day 05 feb 04 feb 03 feb 01 feb 31 jan 30 jan 29 jan 28 jan 27 jan 25 jan 24 jan 23 jan

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