REJECTED

Israeli Court Rejects Appeal From U.S. Student Detained Over BDS Support

Lara Alqasem, a graduate student from Florida, was detained on October 2 upon arrival at Ben-Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv.

The Tel Aviv District Court on Friday rejected an appeal from American student Lara Alqasem, who has been detained in Israel since October 2. Alqasem registered to study human rights at a Hebrew University graduate program in Jerusalem, and obtained a student visa from the Israeli consulate in Miami. However, upon landing in Tel Aviv, she was barred from entering the country and detained on suspicion of ties to the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement (BDS). Her deportation has been delayed for two days, as Alqasem is expected to appeal to the Supreme Court. While an undergraduate student at the University of Florida, Alqasem served as president of Students for Justice in Palestine, an organization affiliated with BDS, that advocates a wide-ranging boycott of Israel.

HUMMUS RIGHTS

Netanyahu Detains American for Once Supporting BDS

Noga Tarnopolsky