RAMALLAH, October 10, 2018 (WAFA) – The Foreign Ministry condemned on Wednesday Israel’s detention at Ben Gurion airport of an American student of Palestinian descent because of the student’s views, describing the detention as political terrorism.

Lara al-Qassem, 22, arrived at the airport on Tuesday of last week with a one year student visa she obtained at the Israeli consulate in Florida to attend classes for a master’s degree at Hebrew University in Jerusalem. However, upon arrival at the airport, she was withheld and denied entry “because of .boycott activity,” according to Israeli media.

Al-Qassem remains detained at the airport since then awaiting final court decision.

Israel‘s Strategic Affairs Minister Gilad Erdan later said that he would reconsider entry of al-Qassem if she publically condemns boycott of Israel, according to the Israeli media.

The Palestinian Foreign Ministry condemned in a statement detaining al-Qassem at the airport and Erdan’s condition, describing it as “cheap blackmail.”

“The racism of the occupying state has reached the level of fascism in punishing, prosecuting and killing others because of their ideas and beliefs that are fully consistent with international law, international humanitarian law, human rights principles and human values,” said the ministry.

It criticized the United States government for not standing up and defending its citizens when it comes to having to censure Israel for its actions against US citizens.

“What al-Qassem is going through highlights the volume of the US blind bias toward the occupation (Israel) to the point of abandoning the rights of an American citizen who is going through the worst kind of political persecution,” said the Foreign Ministry.

M.K.