Israel's Supreme Court halts deportation of detained U.S. student

Jerusalem:The Supreme Court of Israel has frozen the deportation of an American student who was barred entry to Israel over alleged ties to the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement. Earlier on Sunday, she filed a request to appeal the decision to the Supreme Court.

According to the report published in The Guardian, the court will convene on Wednesday to determine whether it will grant Alqasem permission to file her appeal or not.

Lara Alqasem, 22, flew to Israel on 2 October, on a study visa. She 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.

The Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Thursday evening said, ''I'm convinced that Strategic Affairs Minister ,Gilad Erdan has examined the issue.The court is also examining it, and they'll decide whether to let her appeal the decision. If they don't let her appeal, she has to be deported.''

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 emerging deportation and consider a last-ditch appeal for entry.''A stay has been issued against the deportation and the appeal motion will be heard this week,'' a court spokesman said.

The Israel government has said that the Students for Justice activities included a campaign to boycott Sabra hummus, which is made and sold in the US by a company partly owned by a firm in Israel.

Alqasem, who is of Palestinian descent, stopped her activities in the Students for Justice group months before the anti-boycott law came into effect.She has also pledged not to take part in boycott activities while in Israel and did not plan to visit the West Bank, her attorneys have said in the court.(UNI)