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An American student who was denied entry into Israel for alleged support for the boycott, divestment and anti-Israeli sanctions movement turned to the Israeli Supreme Court to try to stay in the country.
Lara Alqasem, a 22-year-old student from Florida, arrived in Israel on October 2nd. She planned to take a masters program at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.
However, upon her arrival at Ben Gurion International Airport, Interior Ministry officials refused access to Alqasem even though she had already received a visa from her home office. student before his arrival.
Israeli Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan (Likud) said Alqasem was an anti-Israel activist who previously ran a branch of an organization affiliated with the BDS movement. During his undergraduate studies, Alqasem headed the Florida University chapter of the radical Students for Justice in Palestine (SJP) organization.
Israeli law prohibits border authorities from allowing foreign nationals who have openly supported the BDS movement to enter the country.
Despite his past membership in SJP, which endorsed the BDS agenda against Israel, Alqasem denied supporting the boycott of Israel.
Alqasem appealed the decision barring it from entering the country, but the Tel Aviv District Court upheld the ban in a ruling on Friday.
"Every self-respecting state defends itself and defends its own interests and those of its citizens, and has the right to fight against the actions of a boycott," said the court, "as well as any damage to his image ".
On Sunday, lawyers working for Alqasem appealed the decision to the Israeli Supreme Court in order to prevent his deportation and to overturn the lower court's decision authorizing border control and the authorities of the country. 39, immigration to ban the entrance of Alqasem.
Later on Sunday, the Supreme Court ordered that Alqasem's deportation order not be executed until the court has an opportunity to respond to the petition on Wednesday.
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