American student wins appeal in Israel

A U.S. student detained after arriving in Israel has won her appeal to study in the country, according to the student’s lawyers. The Supreme Court of Israel ruled Thursday that Lara Alqasem can proceed with her studies at Hebrew University in Jerusalem despite her alleged support for a pro-Palestine boycott campaign against Israel. Alqasem, whose grandparents are Palestinian, arrived at Ben-Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv on Oct. 2 with a valid student visa. She formerly served as president of the University of Florida chapter of Students for Justice in Palestine, a branch of the Palestinian-led Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement. Alqasem insisted she never actively participated in boycott campaigns and promised not to promote them in the future. Israel passed a 2017 law barring any foreigner who “knowingly issues a public call for boycotting Israel” from entering the country.