Lara Alqasem prepared to start a new semester in Israel.
Her plans, however, were put to a halt when she was detained and threatened with deportation at the Ben Gurion Airport in Israel, her former co-worker Grace Chun, 22, said.
Alqasem graduated from UF in May with a bachelor’s degree in international studies and Arabic and was accepted into a master’s program at Hebrew University of Jerusalem with a scholarship, Chun, a 2018 UF psychology graduate, said. Two months before Alqasem went to Israel, she applied for a student visa at the Consulate General of Israel in Miami.
The Consulate General confirmed the visa was issued in Miami, according to the Miami Herald. Lior Haiat, the consul general of Israel in Miami, said once the Israeli government knew Alqasem, 22, was involved in “anti-Israel (and anti-Semitic) activities,” she was denied entry. The statement said the government found it “ironic” she wanted to boycott the country she “wishes to study in.”
Alqasem was the president of the UF Students for Justice in Palestine and participated in nonviolent protests of Israeli companies in the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS), said Cody O’Rourke, the communications director for Holy Land Trust.
“I think first and foremost, her rootedness in being here is about finding a way to talk about justice that makes sense for both Israelis and Palestinians,” O’Rourke said.
Chun said she wasn’t surprised Alqasem was detained. Alqasem visited Israel before and had previously been detained, but was never threatened to be deported, Chun said.
As a UF graduate with Palestinian descent, Alqasem is outspoken about her thoughts on the Israeli government’s oppression towards Palestinians, Chun said.
Chun was able to contact Alqasem through WhatsApp where Alqasem told Chun she appealed the government’s decision to deport her, got access to a lawyer and had a hearing with a judge who sided with her.
Regardless, she will be detained until Sunday morning in Israel until she hears back from the Minister of Interior, an official who plans and implements national policy.
Even if the minister sides with Alqasem, the decision could be appealed by the Israeli government, Chun said.
“I’m not quite sure exactly what will happen,” Chun said.
UF to Israel, an Israeli student group, said it was aware of Alqasem’s situation, but declined to comment because it involves foreign policy.
Caroline Gillis, a former classmate of Alqasem, knew Alqasem would fight to study at the university.
She is not violent or hateful towards anyone and does not carry anti-Semitic feelings, Gillis, a 2016 UF Middle Eastern studies graduate said.
“Whether or not she stays in Israel, I just want her to be safe,” she said.
Contact Dana Cassidy at dcassidy@alligator.org and follow her on Twitter at @danacassidy_
