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Moshe Katsav
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Moshe Katsav (), born 5 December 1945) is a former President of Israel and member of the Knesset. The end of his term of President was marked by controversy, and from 25 January 2007 until his resignation on 1 July 2007, he was on a leave of absence amid impending charges of crimes stemming from his alleged rape of one female subordinate which was later dropped, as well as the sexual harassment of others.
e Katsav was born in Yazd, Iran.
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Moshe Katsav (), born 5 December 1945) is a former President of Israel and member of the Knesset. The end of his term of President was marked by controversy, and from 25 January 2007 until his resignation on 1 July 2007, he was on a leave of absence amid impending charges of crimes stemming from his alleged rape of one female subordinate which was later dropped, as well as the sexual harassment of others.
Personal life
Moshe Katsav was born in Yazd, Iran. His family brought him to Tehran when he was an infant; in June 1951, when he was 5, they emigrated to Israel. He remains fluent in Persian. Upon arriving in Israel, the Katsav family was ultimately dispatched to an immigrant tent-camp in Israel's south, inland from the port city of Ashdod. In the winter of 1951, severe flooding inundated the camp, and Katsav's two-month old brother, Zion, was killed. Young Katsav and his family lived in a tent in the transit camp for two years. They then spent an additional four years in a temporary hut. By then, the transit camp in which the Katsavs had been living had been transformed into the "development town" of Kiryat Mal'akhi.
Katsav attended the Hebrew University of Jerusalem beginning in 1968, and while studying he taught history and mathematics in a high school. He graduated in 1971 with a Bachelor of Arts in economics and history.
He has been married to his wife, Gila, since 1969. The couple have five children and two grandchildren. After a 30-year career in banking, Katsav's wife has devoted herself to charity and volunteer work, especially in groups fighting domestic violence and promoting women's rights, and providing aid and services to disabled children and children from disadvantaged homes.
Political career
Katsav joined the Likud party and at the young age of 24 was elected the mayor of Kiryat Mal'akhi, the small town in which he was raised. He was subsequently elected as a Member of the Knesset in 1977. During his time in the Knesset, Prime Minister Menachem Begin sent Katsav to Iran twice to encourage the Jews there to immigrate to Israel.
Under the governments of Begin and Yitzhak Shamir, Katsav served as the deputy Minister of Construction and Housing (1981-83). He then served as the Minister of Labor and Welfare during the national unity government which served in the years 1984-88. During 1988-92 he served as the Transportation Minister under Yitzhak Shamir, and under Benjamin Netanyahu's government (1996-1999), he served as Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Tourism.
The public positions filled by Moshe Katsav include the following: Chairman of the Iranian Immigrants Organization; Chairman of the commission to determine higher education tuition; and Member of Ben-Gurion University Board of Trustees. In addition, he received an honorary doctorate from the University of Nebraska, Omaha.
Presidency
After serving as Deputy Prime Minister in Netanyahu's government, Katsav vied for the position of President, running as the opposition candidate against Shimon Peres. In a surprising upset, he defeated Peres to become the president of Israel, being elected by the Knesset on 31 July 2000. He took 63 votes (over 57 for Peres), two more than the required majority of 61, and was sworn in on 1 August. He is the first President of Israel to have been sworn in for a seven-year term, as well as the first candidate from the right wing Likud party to be elected to the office. Katsav is the second non-Ashkenazi president and the first president to have been born in an Islamic country.
The office of the Israeli President is largely ceremonial, with no executive powers save pardoning prisoners and commuting sentences. Nevertheless, each president emphasizes different aspects of the role during his tenure. Katsav supported the unsuccessful 2002 cease-fire plan between Israel and the Palestinians (rejected by then Prime Minister Ariel Sharon) and refused to pardon Yigal Amir, the convicted murderer of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin.
In 2003, on a visit to Italy, he demanded that the Vatican restore treasures allegedly brought to Rome after the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD.
On 8 April 2005, the alphabetic ordering of leaders during the funeral of Pope John Paul II resulted in Katsav sitting near Iranian President Mohammad Khatami (also born in Yazd). Katsav told the press that he shook Khatami's hand and spoke to him in Persian. Khatami later denied this.
2006 rape and sexual harassment charges
In July 2006 Katsav complained to the Attorney General of Israel, Menahem Mazuz, that he was being blackmailed by one of his female employees. The investigation quickly turned against Katsav as the employee, referred to as A., alleged sexual offences. The eventual allegations asserted that Katsav had sexually harassed up to 10 women, including the first woman's charge of rape.
On 22 August, Katsav's house was raided by police who seized computers and documents. There were calls for him to resign or suspend himself from the presidency. This came only days after Justice Minister Haim Ramon's resignation after police investigation, also over alleged sexual harassment, had led to Ramon's indictment. Katsav was questioned on 23 August ("under warning") by police in connection with the accusations of sexual harassment and corruption, including A.'s rape charge.
On 7 September, after concluding the fourth investigation into the matter, and having received complaints from at least four different women (according to IBA's correspondent for police affairs), the Israel Police "carefully" determined that they had evidentiary basis for an indictment. On that day, the Judges' Election Committee unanimously approved the appointment of Dorit Beinisch, a woman, as president of the Supreme Court of Israel. Katsav refrained from attending, "to prevent dispute".
On 13 September, the Knesset's House Committee approved Katsav's request for a day's leave of absence so that he could refrain from attending and presiding over Beinisch's formal swearing-in ceremony, normally held in the presidential compound, now to be held in the Knesset. The Committee's chairwoman, Ruhama Avraham, did, however, advise Katsav to opt for a more lengthy leave.
Katsav was interviewed by police for the fifth time, from 10:00 am till at least 7:00 pm. Police confirmed that seven women had by then testified against Katsav, and that the allegations now also included "breach of trust, fraud, and involvement in illegal wiretapping".
Speaking on the case for the first time, on 18 September, Israel's Attorney General, Menachem Mazuz, stated in an interview that the likelihood of Katsav's claim that he had been made the victim of a plot was "fairly slim," given the "long line of women who complained against him." By 21 September, the number of women accusing Katsav of sexual assault had risen to eight.
On 15 October 2006, police recommended pursuing rape and sexual harassment charges against Katsav. Complaints by five of the women would not be pursued because the statute of limitations had run out. On 16 October, Haaretz reported that Mazuz was expected to adopt most of the police's recommendations and indict the president.
On 29 October 2006, Katsav was advised by Israel's attorney general, Menachem Mazuz, to step down from his presidential duties and suspend himself as long as the possibility of his indictment remained under consideration. Katsav, who continued to deny the allegations, had announced, via his lawyers, that if indicted he would resign.
Vladimir Putin incident
On 19 October 2006, Russian President Vladimir Putin was quoted as saying to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert regarding the allegations surrounding Katsav, "Say hello to your president. He really surprised us... turned out to be quite a mighty man. He raped 10 women. I never expected it from him. He surprised all of us. We all envy him." In a call-in television program Putin did not deny making the comment but said that "using instruments such as protecting women’s rights to resolve political issues that are unconnected with this problem is absolutely inadmissible. And this is because it actually discredits the struggle for women’s rights". He also criticized the press's eavesdropping on his conversation with Olmert.
Suspension from office
On 23 January 2007 Attorney-General Mazuz announced that he would consider charging Katsav with rape, sexual harassment, breach of trust, obstruction of justice, harassment of a witness and fraud. The president is immune from prosecution while in office, and could only be tried after the end of his term in August 2007 or after his resignation. The final decision on indictment would be made after a hearing where Katsav could present his case. Katsav had declined to resign as president, but had a three-month leave of absence approved by the Knesset on 25 January. Knesset speaker Dalia Itzik had assumed the office in the interim in a "caretaker" capacity.
Claims of witchhunt and of conviction by media
On 24 January 2007 Katsav held a press conference wherein he accused journalists of persecuting him and judging him before all the evidence has been presented. He also claimed that the media has been hostile to his presidency ever since he defeated Shimon Peres, quoting an op-ed piece in The Jerusalem Post by Amotz Asa-El which claimed that Katsav's election was "the end of Zionism" and others that compared his election to the Rabin assassination.
At one point Katsav got into a heated argument with Channel 2 reporter and news anchor Gadi Sukenik, accusing him and his channel of conducting a witch-hunt. Katsav declared his intention to suspend himself temporarily in light of the charges of rape and sexual harassment, though he had refused to step down unless he is indicted.
The speech drew shock and condemnation, as well as amazement, from journalists, politicians, and legal figures. In a talk scheduled minutes after Katsav's speech ended, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert stated that he should resign from the presidency.
Katsav yesterday delivered the speech of his life. To his great regret, under tragic circumstances. But it was a Shakespearean speech. It is a Shakespearean drama which unveils before your eyes. You occasionally rub your eyes and say: 'wait, am I in a theater or am I sitting on an arm chair at home watching my president, live?' — Yisrael Segel, Israeli author and journalist
End of term and resignation
On 7 March 2007, Katsav survived an attempt to impeach him by the Knesset House Committee. His seven-year term was scheduled to run out constitutionally on 15 July 2007. However, in accordance with a plea agreement, he had resigned, effective 1 July 2007. Shimon Peres was elected to succeed him on 13 June 2007.
On 29 June 2007 at 11:02 Katsav submitted a letter of resignation. According to the Basic Law: The President of the State, the president's resignation came into force 48 hours after the letter's receipt.
Plea agreement and resolution of legal case
On 28 June 2007, Katsav's lawyers reached a plea bargain with Israel’s attorney general, Menachem Mazuz. According to the deal, Katsav would plead guilty to several counts of sexual harassment and indecent acts and receive a suspended jail sentence, and pay compensation to two of his victims. The more serious rape charges brought by the initial employee, A., have been dropped, as well as Katsav's original charges of her blackmailing him.
There was widespread condemnation of this deal among the general public and in particular from organizations devoted to women's rights: opinion polls showed that 70 percent of the public were dissatisfied with the deal and over 20,000 protesters attended a rally against the deal at Rabin Square in Tel Aviv. Despite the protests, the attorney general said the agreement would still shame Katsav while sparing humiliation of the office, and that there were in any event problems with the evidence owing to the lengthy timeline; Katsav's attorneys said they accepted the deal to avoid an arduous trial.
However his neighbors have praised the agreement as showing the maturity of the Israeli legal system after the Attorney General reported that the testimony of A., the principal complainant who had accused Katsav of rape, "...was problematic, self-contradictory, and contradictory of other complainants' testimonies" and "A. describes relations imposed on her by force and refers to two friends whom, she claimed, she told the story to. The police went to her friends in the US and they gave a completely contradictory testimony..".
On 30 October 2007, the State Prosecution told the High Court of Justice that it had changed its mind about the indictment on the basis of the evidence from the two key complainants, citing a meeting with Katsav's attorneys that highlighted contradictions within their testimony, including an affectionate letter from one of the complainants after the two alleged rapes would have occurred. The Court will rule on a later date on whether Menahem Mazuz's changed position was warranted. The move garnered harsh criticism from the complainants attorneys.
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