Israeli Supreme Court overturns expulsion of US student

October 20, 2018

On Thursday, the Israeli ruled in favor of Lara Alqasem, a 22-year-old  student who appealed an expulsion order, allowing her to remain in the country. She was refused entry upon arrival in Israel on October 2 at and threatened with deportation; Israeli authorities alleged that Alqasem supported a pro-Palestinian boycott against the state. The student was held in custody as she appealed the order.

On entry at Ben Gurion, Alqasem had a valid student visa to enrol in the. According to reports recounted by The New York Times, the student recently served as president to a small chapter of (SJP). Israel enacted a law in 2017 granting the state the authority to deport individuals supporting the movement.

An Israeli lawyer representing the student called the allegation "egregious"; Alqasem studied in Florida. The Hebrew University asked to join her during the appeal process, in defence of Israel's academic freedom. The director of the university, Barak Medina, stated: "To be clear, we strongly oppose the boycott campaign against Israel, and Israel has to fight it[...] But to deny entry to every person who has expressed support for a boycott is counterproductive".

Alqasem appealed to the Israeli High Court after being rejected by a lower court. The ruling allows her to pursue further education in the country.