Arab convicted of 'fraud' rape

AN Arab man who had consensual sex with a Jewish woman in Israel has been convicted of rape in a "sex through fraud" case and sentenced to 18 months in jail.

The defendant was quoted in the Haaretz newspaper as saying the case was racially motivated because the woman complained to police only after learning he was an Arab. "If I were Jewish, they would not even have questioned me," he said.

The Jerusalem District Court said the defendant, "who is married, introduced himself falsely to the complainant as a Jewish bachelor, and as such, interested in a meaningful romantic relationship". Intermarriage is rare in Israel between Jews and Arabs, who make up 20 per cent of the population.