Palestinian-American author detained at Ben Gurion airport
Her detention is not related to Boycott, Divestment or Sanctions (BDS) ties.
By ZACHARY KEYSERUpdated: NOVEMBER 3, 2018 14:58An El Al plane in Ben Gurion Airport(photo credit: REUTERS)
Palestinian-American writer Susan Abulhawa was detained at Ben-Gurion Airport Thursday and will be deported from the country, according to Israeli and Palestinian officials.Abulhawa was set to attend the Palestinian Literature Festival, to be held in Jerusalem, Haifa, and around the West Bank in the coming week. Abulhawa appealed the decision in court Friday morning, but the plea was rejected.Abulhawa’s detention is not related to Boycott, Divestment or Sanctions (BDS) ties, but instead because she refused to answer security questions when attempting to enter the country through Jordan in 2015, according to an Immigration Authority spokesperson.“She was refused entry then and told that the next time she arrived she had to coordinate in advance," said the spokesperson, according to i24 News. Now, the spokesperson said, “she was refused entry and then told that the next time she arrived she had to coordinate in advance.”Abulhawa is set to be deported immediately.This is the most recent detention at Ben Gurion Airport after Lara Alqasem, the American student set to study at Hebrew University, was detained for over two weeks last month for alleged ties to the BDS movement. Alqasem was eventually allowed to enter the country.
