Erdan defends actions against US student not allowed into Israel

Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan is defending Israel’s handling of the case of an American graduate student who has been prevented from entering the country and has been held in detention for the past week at Ben Gurion International Airport over suspicions that she supports the Palestinian-led boycott campaign against the Jewish state.

Lara Alqasem, a 22-year-old American citizen with Palestinian grandparents, landed at Ben Gurion last week with a valid student visa. But she was barred from entering the country and ordered deported, based on suspicions that she supports the boycott movement.

In an interview with AP, Erdan says Israel will do “whatever we believe that is right” for the country’s security. He says Israel has the right to decide who enters its borders.

The case has drawn international criticism.

— AP