Israel's supreme court on Thursday overturned an entry ban imposed on a US student over past support for a pro-Palestinian boycott campaign, leading to her release after more than two weeks of detention. The three-judge panel upheld Lara Alqasem's appeal against the ban, allowing the 22-year-old to take her place on a master's degree programme at Jerusalem's Hebrew University.
The interior ministry's decision to bar her from entry, the court ruled, "was not within the bounds of reason and is revoked".
Alqasem landed at Tel Aviv's Ben Gurion airport on October 2, but despite having a visa she was not allowed to clear immigration due to a 2017 law barring supporters of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) movement.
Ordered to return to the United States, she decided instead to stay in Israel and challenge the ban. She had since been in detention at the airport while lower courts rejected two appeals.
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