Fruitland Township in Michigan, located some 50 miles northwest of Grand Rapids on the banks of Lake Michigan, told JNS that it is removing the requirement to identify a country in a drop-down menu on an address form on its website since it could not edit out a reference to the state of “Palestine.”
JNS brought the form to the township’s attention and asked if its policy was to recognize an independent Palestinian state.
The township clerk told JNS that she was “unable to edit which countries are listed under the drop-down.”
“I have removed the requirement to select a country as that is not information we need to collect for that form,” the clerk said.
The United States does not recognize an independent Palestinian state, and U.S. officials have said that other countries intending to recognize such a state would reward Hamas for its attacks on Oct. 7, 2023.
