Ala Hlehel
Photo: Ohad Zoigenberg
High Court slams Yishai for preventing author's trip to Lebanon
Justices say minister had no reason to prevent Ala Hlehel from visiting Beirut to receive prize
The High Court of Justice criticized Interior Minister Eli Yishai Sunday for attempting to prevent Palestinian writer Ala Hlehel from traveling to Lebanon in order to receive a literature prize.
Final Decision
Associated Press
Two writers who won literary awards in Beirut will have to travel to London to collect their prizes because of laws in Israel, Lebanon
They determined that the state could present no actual proof for its claims, and that Yishai should have examined the situation assessments handed to him by security forces more closely before prohibiting Hlehel from traveling.
The judges added that the author had requested the visit to Beirut in order to receive a prestigious award from a number of international organizations, a rare and joyous circumstance which in their opinion merits further consideration of his case.
Participating in literary events is part of an author's profession, they added, and important to his literary career as they provide him with an opportunity to rub shoulders with writers and other artists.
Justice Hayut wrote that "the writer was prevented from participating in a convention because the state hosting it, Lebanon, made it difficult for him to travel there as an Israeli citizen carrying an Israeli passport."
