U.S. student barred by Israel appeals to its top court

Record ID: 1360443

  • Title: U.S. student barred by Israel appeals to its top court
  • Date: 14th October 2018
  • Summary: JERUSALEM (OCTOBER 14, 2018) (REUTERS) ***WARNING CONTAINS FLASH PHOTOGRAPHY*** ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU ARRIVING AT EVENT FOR VISITING CHRISTIAN JOURNALISTS AUDIENCE AT EVENT (SOUNDBITE) (English) ISRAELI PRIME MINISTER BENJAMIN NETANYAHU, SAYING: "Well, you know. Would that it were true, I do not know but every country and every democracy and many democr
  • Embargoed: 28th October 2018 17:33
  • Keywords: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu Lara al-Kassem Lara Alqasem US student
  • Location: JERUSALEM/TEL AVIV, ISRAEL
  • City: JERUSALEM/TEL AVIV, ISRAEL
  • Country: Jerusalem
  • Topics: Conflicts/War/Peace
  • Reuters ID: LVA001921FY9Z
  • Aspect Ratio: 16:9
  • Story Text: A U.S. student barred from Israel under a law against pro-Palestinian boycotters filed an appeal on Sunday (October 14) with its top court, which suspended her deportation pending a discussion of the case.
    Lara Alqasem, 22, flew to Israel on Oct. 2 on a study visa but was refused entry by security officials who cited her role as president of a small local chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine at the University of Florida.
    In airport detention since then, she has been contesting the exclusion, with the backing of Jerusalem's Hebrew University, where she was due to begin a year-long master's programme on Sunday.
    On Friday, Tel Aviv District Court rejected Alqasem's appeal to be allowed in. On Sunday, her lawyers said she filed a dual motion to Israel's Supreme Court to block her looming deportation and consider a last-ditch appeal for entry.
    Her case has touched off debate in Israel over whether democratic values have been compromised by a 2017 law that bars the entry of foreigners who publicly support anti-Israel boycotts, and if a hard line against the student would ultimately harm the country's image.
    Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel's stance was similar to other countries' practices.
    "Well, you know. Would that it were true, I do not know but every country and every democracy and many democracies have a special arrangements where they decide who to let in and who not to let in. If you come in and you are virulently against America and you try to come into the United States, there's a good chance you won't be let in if people know that in advance. That's also true of many of the European democracies. It's true of the democracy called Israel," he told visiting Christian journalists.
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