Would Lara Alqasem’s liberal Zionist supporters have defended her right to enter her homeland if she had wanted to attend Bir Zeit University instead of Hebrew University? Nada Elia writes that there is much more to Alqasem’s case that needs to be examined, hinging on her identity and her choices, as well as how these were perceived, or intentionally ignored, by some of her defenders.

The defense of Lara Alqasem who was barred entry by Israel for her studies, was based on the notion that she does not currently practice BDS. Thus, her victory at Supreme Court is also a blow to BDS and a victory for liberal Zionists. She has become a pawn in an internal Israeli-Zionist political game, where the right and left compete against each other about who is a “better Zionist”.