Sabri Jiryis is a Palestinian lawyer who practised in Israel and is now living in Beirut.
Tobacco is a major crop of Arab farmers.
As in many countries, the marketing of tobacco is regulated by the government. Jiryis says the same condition prevgails for two other important crops, olives and olive oil. In a state where by law the government is a partner with an institutional infrastructure committed to serving one part of the population on the basis of its religious faith it is not surprising that discrimination is not limited to the market place. Social and political attitudes are also affected. Administration of the law can, and very often does, bend the intent of the system, even where the intent is to distribute the benefits and powers of teh state equitably among its citizens.