Arab is new Miss Israel

RANA RASLAN, 21, from Haifa, has become the first Arab in Israel to be crowned Miss Israel. "It doesn't matter to me if I'm Arab or Jewish, we are all human," she said afterwards.

Ms Raslan, who works in a law office, was crowned by the previous winner, Linor Abargil, who last year went on to become Miss World.

Ms Abargil has accused an Israeli travel agent, Uri Shlomo, of raping her in Italy last year, just before she won the Miss World title. In a tearful, angry speech at yesterday's crowning, she said: "To all of those who relate to beauty contests as meat markets, you should know, we do with our bodies what we want. Only what we want, and no one else."

Mr Shlomo was arrestedwhen he returned to Israel from Italy, but released for lack of evidence.

Members of the Arab community in Israel do not often enter beauty contests, saying that to do so would offend their standards of modesty.

Israeli Arabs make up about one million of Israel's 5.9 million citizens. They have long complained of discrimination by the state. But in an interview with Israel Radio, Ms Raslan said she had never personally suffered prejudice.