Jerusalem (CNN) Israel has detained an American graduate student at Ben Gurion International Airport for more than a week, accusing her of supporting the Palestinian-led boycott movement of Israel.

Lara Alqasem, a 22-year-old of Palestinian heritage from Fort Lauderdale, Florida, arrived in Israel on a student visa to attend Jerusalem's Hebrew University but never made it out of the airport after she was found to have ties to the Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions movement, better known as BDS, her lawyer, Leora Bechor, said.

"There was no justification to deny her [entry at the airport] when they could have made their decision at the time her student visa was to be issued," Bechor told CNN. "Someone with a visa in hand places their faith in the government's decision, so if the government plans to revoke a visa it has already issued, it must be held accountable."

Alqasem has been held in a detention facility at the airport since arriving in Israel on October 2. She has access to a phone but cannot receive visits except from her lawyers, Bechor said.

The Ministry of Strategic Affairs, which handles BDS cases, called Alqasem a "prominent activist" who met the criteria of being refused entry into Israel.

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