inter-racial dating is a taboo in Israel. In a Jerusalem suburb there are special patrol groups that prevent Arab men mixing with Jewish women, and couples who mutually choose to rebel are ostracized. The most recent case involves an Arab man who posed as a Jewish bachelor.

A Jewish woman agreed to have sex with him -- but after she found out he was an Arab, and not a Jew, she filed a police complaint. The courts took the case so seriously that Sabbar Kashur has now been convicted of rape by deception and sentenced to 18 months in prison.

The judge said he had an obligation to protect the public from sophisticated criminals who could mislead innocent victims. Kashnur denies pretending to be Jewish and is going to appeal his conviction. RT talks to political journalist and analyst Gideon Levy.