Israel’s Supreme Court has halted the deportation order against a US student who has been refused entry to the country over alleged links to the boycotts, divestment and sanctions (BDS) movement.
Representatives of Lara Alqasem made a request for a Supreme Court hearing on Friday after the Tel Aviv District Court upheld a ruling made at a lower court prohibiting her from entering Israel, JTA reported.
Her deportation, initially scheduled for Sunday, has been postponed until the Supreme Court makes a decision on whether to hear the case.
Ms Alqasem, 22, was stopped at the airport on October 2, despite holding a student visa issued to her by the Israeli consulate in Miami, Florida.
Ms Alqasem is allegedly the former president of her campus chapter of National Students for Justice in Palestine, which advocates for a boycott and has created a hostile environment for many Jewish students on college campuses in the US.
She had travelled to Israel to study for a master’s degree in human rights at the Hebrew University in Jerusalem.
The Hebrew University is expected to join her case if it is accepted, according to Haaretz.
A law introduced in 2017 allows Israel to prohibit entry to those who have engaged in BDS activism.
Israeli authorities argue that Ms Alqasem’s pro-BDS activism, during her time as an undergraduate, shows that she supports a boycott of Israel, and that the country has the right to deny her entry.
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