Before the Law

By Neve Gordon

This article appeared in the May 2, 2005 edition of The Nation.

April 14, 2005

An Israeli Jew and a Palestinian meet in transit right after having been sentenced in court. The Palestinian asks the Jew how much time he got.   "Three years," says the Jew. "The judge was relatively lenient, though, and took into account that the guard who tried to stop me from robbing the bank didn't die from his wounds. How much time did you get?"

"Seven years for driving without my headlights on," says the Palestinian.

"Wow! That is a hefty punishment," the Jew exclaims.

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About Neve Gordon

Neve Gordon teaches politics at Ben-Gurion University. Read about his new book, Israel's Occupation (due out this fall from the University of California Press), and more at israelsoccupation.info. more...
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