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An Isreali Arab has been convicted of ‘rape by deception’ after sleeping with a woman who believed he was Jewish. The case highlights the profound racial tension between Jews and Arabs in Israel and has sparked multiple accusations of racism.

We’re analyzing coverage of the controversial ruling from Democracy Now!, the Palestinian News Network, Al Jazeera, the BBC and Salon.com.

Democracy Now! explains the details leading to Saber Kashour’s arrest and conviction:

“Sabbar Kashur was sentenced to 18 months in prison after the court ruled he was guilty of rape by deception because he had posed as a Jewish bachelor. When the woman later found out he was Palestinian, she filed a criminal complaint for rape and indecent assault, alleging she would not have consented if she had not believed he was Jewish.”

The charge of rape by deception has been used successfully in Israeli courts before, but generally in cases involving prolonged deceit or promises of marriage. It has never been used in a case of racial misrepresentation. The Palestinian News Network reports that this case might have troubling legal implications:

“This sets a precedent that any Jewish Israeli woman who has a tryst with a Palestinian could have him sent to jail for rape, regardless of the circumstances.”

But the Association of Rape Crisis Centers in Israel’s Merav Mor tells Al Jazeera she supports the court’s ruling.

“In this case, the legal standpoint and the moral standpoint is that she received false information; therefore, consent is nullified. ... If a woman or a man feels that they were given wrong information, they were raped, and this has absolutely nothing to do with the Arab situation in Israel, the conflict. The rape crisis centers see this as a criminal case of rape, and that what the courts decided.”

The BBC reports that the man never claimed to be Jewish, and that in fact, she approached him. The newspaper quotes him as saying:

"’I'd say she set upon me. She was interested in my motorcycle and so we talked. I didn't pretend.’"

But CNN reports Kashour never claimed to be Jewish -- and that even if he had, it shouldn’t result in a rape conviction. He tells CNN:

“If I told her that I was a millionaire and it turns out that I am a poor man, then she goes and says that 'He raped me'?"

Kashur and many others have called the court’s decision racist, but the idea of being convicted of rape by deception is disturbing to many who say that sometimes deception is just a natural part of courtship. Salon.com writes:

“While this particular case carries with it troubling racial tensions and taboos, it does raise an interesting question: How do you draw the line between sexual seduction and fraud?”

So, what do you think? If one person deceives another in order to have sex, should that be considered rape in court? Or is deception sometimes a natural part of sexual relationships?

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