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US student Lara Alqasem appears at the district court in Tel Aviv, Israel, on October 11, 2018. (Photo: Reuters/Amir Cohen)
US Student Considers Taking BDS Detention Case to Israel's Supreme Court After Judge Rejects Appeal
"Calling out Israel's human rights violations isn't anti-Semitic. But detaining those who condemn the murder of Palestinians is fascist."
Oct 12, 2018
After her legal challenge to end her detention was rejected by an Israeli district court on Friday, academics and activists pledged their support on Friday for Lara Alqasem, the 22-year-old U.S. graduate student who has been held for 10 days by Israel over accusations she has supported the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement that demands rights and freedom for Palestinians.
Alqasem was disappointed in the court's ruling, her attorney, Yotam Ben Hillel, told Haaretz, and was "reading the verdict and considering her next steps." She may ask the Israeli Supreme Court to hear her appeal before her scheduled deportation on Sunday.
"The court's decision to reject Lara Alqasem's appeal constitutes a severe injury to the freedom of expression, to Israeli academia and to our image in the world," Mossi Raz, a member of the Knesset who has visited Alqasem since she was detained, told Haaretz.
The student was detained on October 2 as she tried to enter the country with a student visa she'd obtained at the Israeli consulate in Florida, planning to begin studying law at Hebrew University. The Strategic Affairs Ministry has argued that she must be deported under a 2017 law barring the entry of foreigners who have publicly supported the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, and Sanction (BDS) movement, which opposes the Israeli occupation and its apartheid policies.
Alqasem was the president of the University of Florida's small group Students for Justice in Palestine, which urged members not to buy the brand Sabra, an Israeli hummus company.
"She was a member in a small organization that at its peak numbered eight people," Ben Hillel told Haaretz, adding that Alqasem's case clearly demonstrates that Israel's quest to ban anyone who has shown even minimal support for the BDS movement, has run amok. "Here is a 22-year-old. During this period, she was 19 or 20. When did she have time to be a central activist, as the criteria require for 'consistent and long-term support' for a boycott? This is the demon that you have created."
"Denying entry to foreign students based on political beliefs or ethnic heritage is an attack on academic freedom," wrote more than 300 academics from all over the world this week in a letter support calling for Alqasem's release. "As professors who are committed to academic freedom, and as humans who reject all forms of racial profiling, we are calling on the Israeli authorities to permit Lara Alqasem to enter Israel and pursue her studies."
One University of Florida student tweeted his support for Alqasem, arguing that no one should be punished for fighting against any country's human rights violations.
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This country and this world are at a monumental crossroads. US voters have an opportunity to beat back the forces of fascism and confront the billionaires who are rigging the economy, our media system, and our democracy, making it increasingly impossible for ordinary people to get by. We’re not just talking about the election. We’re talking about what must be done once these fascist elements are vanquished from power. We need a bolder set of solutions than what either major party has so far been willing to offer and a working-class movement ready to fight like hell for it. Trump didn't emerge from nowhere. The conditions that fueled MAGA authoritarianism were created by decades of radical neoliberal economic policies and a corrupt political system dominated by corporate interests. They slashed taxes on the super-rich, promising that the benefits would trickle down. They said giveaways to the corporate titans would make life more affordable for the rest of us. It was all bullshit. And when a bitter, betrayed populace searches for someone to blame, right-wing demagogues have little trouble finding scapegoats. People know when they're being lied to, but you won't hear any of this from the corporate media. Only independent journalism—powered and funded by people who believe in building a better world—can deliver truly trustworthy daily news. If you share our vision, please contribute whatever you can to sustain our work. |
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After her legal challenge to end her detention was rejected by an Israeli district court on Friday, academics and activists pledged their support on Friday for Lara Alqasem, the 22-year-old U.S. graduate student who has been held for 10 days by Israel over accusations she has supported the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement that demands rights and freedom for Palestinians.
Alqasem was disappointed in the court's ruling, her attorney, Yotam Ben Hillel, told Haaretz, and was "reading the verdict and considering her next steps." She may ask the Israeli Supreme Court to hear her appeal before her scheduled deportation on Sunday.
"The court's decision to reject Lara Alqasem's appeal constitutes a severe injury to the freedom of expression, to Israeli academia and to our image in the world," Mossi Raz, a member of the Knesset who has visited Alqasem since she was detained, told Haaretz.
The student was detained on October 2 as she tried to enter the country with a student visa she'd obtained at the Israeli consulate in Florida, planning to begin studying law at Hebrew University. The Strategic Affairs Ministry has argued that she must be deported under a 2017 law barring the entry of foreigners who have publicly supported the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, and Sanction (BDS) movement, which opposes the Israeli occupation and its apartheid policies.
Alqasem was the president of the University of Florida's small group Students for Justice in Palestine, which urged members not to buy the brand Sabra, an Israeli hummus company.
"She was a member in a small organization that at its peak numbered eight people," Ben Hillel told Haaretz, adding that Alqasem's case clearly demonstrates that Israel's quest to ban anyone who has shown even minimal support for the BDS movement, has run amok. "Here is a 22-year-old. During this period, she was 19 or 20. When did she have time to be a central activist, as the criteria require for 'consistent and long-term support' for a boycott? This is the demon that you have created."
"Denying entry to foreign students based on political beliefs or ethnic heritage is an attack on academic freedom," wrote more than 300 academics from all over the world this week in a letter support calling for Alqasem's release. "As professors who are committed to academic freedom, and as humans who reject all forms of racial profiling, we are calling on the Israeli authorities to permit Lara Alqasem to enter Israel and pursue her studies."
One University of Florida student tweeted his support for Alqasem, arguing that no one should be punished for fighting against any country's human rights violations.
After her legal challenge to end her detention was rejected by an Israeli district court on Friday, academics and activists pledged their support on Friday for Lara Alqasem, the 22-year-old U.S. graduate student who has been held for 10 days by Israel over accusations she has supported the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement that demands rights and freedom for Palestinians.
Alqasem was disappointed in the court's ruling, her attorney, Yotam Ben Hillel, told Haaretz, and was "reading the verdict and considering her next steps." She may ask the Israeli Supreme Court to hear her appeal before her scheduled deportation on Sunday.
"The court's decision to reject Lara Alqasem's appeal constitutes a severe injury to the freedom of expression, to Israeli academia and to our image in the world," Mossi Raz, a member of the Knesset who has visited Alqasem since she was detained, told Haaretz.
The student was detained on October 2 as she tried to enter the country with a student visa she'd obtained at the Israeli consulate in Florida, planning to begin studying law at Hebrew University. The Strategic Affairs Ministry has argued that she must be deported under a 2017 law barring the entry of foreigners who have publicly supported the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, and Sanction (BDS) movement, which opposes the Israeli occupation and its apartheid policies.
Alqasem was the president of the University of Florida's small group Students for Justice in Palestine, which urged members not to buy the brand Sabra, an Israeli hummus company.
"She was a member in a small organization that at its peak numbered eight people," Ben Hillel told Haaretz, adding that Alqasem's case clearly demonstrates that Israel's quest to ban anyone who has shown even minimal support for the BDS movement, has run amok. "Here is a 22-year-old. During this period, she was 19 or 20. When did she have time to be a central activist, as the criteria require for 'consistent and long-term support' for a boycott? This is the demon that you have created."
"Denying entry to foreign students based on political beliefs or ethnic heritage is an attack on academic freedom," wrote more than 300 academics from all over the world this week in a letter support calling for Alqasem's release. "As professors who are committed to academic freedom, and as humans who reject all forms of racial profiling, we are calling on the Israeli authorities to permit Lara Alqasem to enter Israel and pursue her studies."
One University of Florida student tweeted his support for Alqasem, arguing that no one should be punished for fighting against any country's human rights violations.
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