Arab posing as Jew charged with rape in consensual sex

An Israeli court ruled that consensual sex between a Jewish woman and an Arab posing as a Jew constituted rape.

On July 19, the Jerusalem District Court sentenced Sabbar Kashur, 30, an Arab from Jerusalem, to 18 months in prison as part of a plea bargain for rape by deception.

Kashur met a Jewish woman in downtown Jerusalem in 2008 and introduced himself as a Jewish bachelor seeking a serious relationship, according to media reports of the indictment. The couple went to a nearby building and had consensual sexual intercourse; Kashur then left.

The woman filed a complaint after realizing that Kashur was not Jewish.

The court ruled that the consent for sex was obtained under false pretenses.

“If she hadn’t thought the accused was a Jewish bachelor interested in a serious romantic relationship, she would not have cooperated,” the judges wrote. — jta