Updates

The Supreme Court ruled on Thursday in favor of Lara Alqasem, after two lower courts denied earlier appeals in her case.  Lara Alqasem is a 22 year-old American student, who obtained a one-year student visa to complete her master's degee in human rights and transitional justice at Israel's elite Hebrew University.  She arrived at Israel's Ben Gurion airport on October 2 and sat in detention for 16 days prior to her release on October 18. The Ministry of Interior barred Lara’s entry and revoked her student visa on grounds that she held a "senior leadership position" in the Boycott, Divestment, [...]

BBH Law filed an emergency appeal and motion for a stay of deportation in the early hours of 3 October on behalf of an American student banned by Israel's Ministry of Interior (PIBA) from entry into the country.  The student, Palestinian American Lara Alqasem, is registered to begin her studies at the Hebrew University and was carrying a valid one-year student visa when she was denied. Attorney Yotam Ben-Hillel of BBH Law, represents Ms. Alqasem. https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-israel-denies-entry-to-american-student-who-has-palestinian-grandfather-1.6517649 https://www.haaretz.co.il/news/education/1.6517648    

On September 12, 2018, 23-year old Julie Shayna Weinberg-Connors returned to her home in Jerusalem after the Rosh Hashanah holiday, hours before she was to start learning in a year-long yeshiva program at the Pardes Institute for Jewish Studies.  But to her shock and dismay, she was denied entry to Israel at Ben-Gurion airport and told by Ministry of Interior officials that the authorities “did not want her in Israel.” The Ministry of Interior’s stated reason for Ms. Weinberg-Connors’ denial was “illegal immigration considerations,” but there was nothing illegal about her entry.  She did not misrepresent herself or pretend to [...]

An opinion piece by Attorney Yotam Ben-Hillel on Israel’s disturbing new policy of revoking the visas of foreign citizens residing in the West Bank. Silently and far from the eye of the media, the new policy prohibits foreign citizens from living in the West Bank. The policy not only destroys family life but the Palestinian economy, which is held captive by Israel. Over the past year and a half, Israel has pursued a policy which aims to keep foreign nationals out of the West Bank. This policy affects everyone: partners of Palestinian residents of the West Bank, parents of children who [...]

In the past several months, Israel’s Civil Administration has made it increasingly difficult for foreign spouses of Palestinians to receive long-term visas that allow them to legally reside with their spouses and children in the West Bank.  In many instances, they face an absolute bar from renewing their visas.  In such cases, the foreign spouse is forced to immediately leave the West Bank, even if his or her departure means an indefinite separation from spouse and children and an uprooting from the only home s/he knows.   BBH Law is currently representing a number of spouses affected by this new, [...]

Under the Law on Citizenship and Entry into Israel enacted in 2003 as a “temporary order,” Palestinian spouses of Israeli citizens or residents of East Jerusalem who meet eligibility criteria may obtain military permits, renewable annually, with no opportunity to “upgrade” their status to temporary resident (A/5 visa)- Israeli temporary resident visa. .  Every year, applicants risk revocation of their permits and live in Israel without the right to social services and full freedom of movement. In his April 2016 response to petitions submitted to the High Court of Justice, the Minister of Interior notified the court that the “temporary” [...]