File this under apartheid...
Abeer Afana, Wayne State University student, unlike her seven other classmates, was denied entry into Israel for a study abroad program organized by the Near Eastern and Political Science Departments at Wayne State University.
Why?
Because she is Palestinian.
The Detroit Free Press wrote:
Students in a Wayne State University study-abroad program designed to look at the tensions in the Middle East got a firsthand lesson during the weekend -- even before they walked out of Ben Gurion International Airport in Tel Aviv, Israel.
U.S.-born Abeer Afana, 20, was interrogated by Israeli security agents and detained for several hours before she was returned to a plane bringing her back home to Novi, Michigan, because her parents are from Gaza and she once held a Palestinian passport.
Regarding Abeer’s denied entry, the Free Press further wrote that the U.S. State Department warns U.S. citizens of Arab or Muslim origin may face additional questioning "or may even be denied entry into Israel."
Here is the State Department's travel warning about Israel regarding Palestinian Americans traveling to the country:
Palestinian-Americans: U.S. citizens who have a PA identification number or who the Government of Israel considers to have residency status in the West Bank or Gaza are advised to read this section very carefully.
It is possible that Israeli authorities would consider as Palestinian anyone who has a Palestinian identification number, was born in the West Bank or Gaza, or was born in the United States but has parents or grandparents who were born or lived in the West Bank or Gaza. Any such U.S. citizen may be required to travel to Israel using his or her PA passport, regardless of whether he or she holds U.S. citizenship. Without the PA passport, such Americans may be barred from entering or exiting Israel, the West Bank or Gaza, or they may face serious delays at the ports of entry.
Individuals who hold a PA ID, as well as persons judged by Israeli authorities to have claim to a PA ID by virtue of ancestry, will be considered subject to Israeli law and to regulations that Israel applies to residents of the West Bank and Gaza, regardless of whether they also hold U.S. citizenship. In most cases, such individuals will be required by Israeli authorities to enter the West Bank via the Allenby Bridge (also known as King Hussein Bridge) crossing with Jordan, rather than entering Israel via Ben Gurion International Airport, unless they obtain permission from an Israeli Embassy or Consulate for that purpose in advance. Even if they have entered Israel via Ben Gurion Airport, they may be required to depart via the Allenby Bridge. Upon arrival at any of the Ports of Entry, such persons may wish to consider asking Israeli immigration authorities from where they will be required to depart.
So the U.S. acknowledges the apartheid nature of Israel's legal system without comment on Israel's discrimination against U.S. citizens.
Abeer is active with the Wayne State Muslim Students Association where she is involved with several community projects. In commenting on a program to help the homeless around Wayne State, Abeer said:
[Helping out] makes me think more about the less fortunate than I already do. It makes me think of socioeconomic classes. Even though they do exist, everyone is an equal human being.
Maybe that statement about equality is the reason Israel denied her entry. In Israel, a Palestinian speaking about equality is a very dangerous idea. Almost as dangerous as an elderly Jewish intellectual who advocates for a two-state solution.
Help Palestinians in their non-violent struggle to end inequality in Israel. Support the call for boycott, divestment and sanctions.
Thanks to Alec for the tip on this story.