NPR

U.S. Student Detained In Israel

Lara Alqasem, a 22-year-old U.S. citizen, was barred from entering Israel last Tuesday and ordered to be deported. She appealed the decision and has been detained ever since.

Lara Alqasem, a 22-year-old Florida native, landed at Israel's Ben-Gurion Airport last Tuesday, expecting to start her studies in human rights at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. Instead, she has spent the past week detained.

Alqasem, whose father is of Palestinian heritage, was barred from entering the country and accused of supporting a boycott of Israel that was started by Palestinian leaders.

Her mother, Karen Alqasem, that "when she went through the gate to try to

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