Jerusalem – A plea bargain that would allow Israel’s former president to avoid rape charges and jail time has drawn a fierce public backlash, with protests in Tel Aviv and a Supreme Court appeal Sunday that have put the deal in doubt.
The plea bargain between prosecutors and Moshe Katsav, who stepped down as Israel’s ceremonial leader Sunday, would allow him to confess to lesser counts of sexual harassment and receive a suspended sentence.
In January, Attorney General Meni Mazuz said he was planning to file rape charges that could carry a 20-year prison term. Now, Katsav’s critics fear the deal will allow him to fade quietly away.
Four women who worked for Katsav charged that he repeatedly groped them, kissed them, exposed himself to them and – in two cases – raped them while he served as president and, earlier, tourism minister.
Dropping the most serious charges infuriated women’s rights activists and led to a hastily organized demonstration in central Tel Aviv on Saturday night that drew a crowd of around 20,000.
On Sunday, three women’s rights groups filed separate appeals to the Supreme Court, which ordered the plea bargain frozen for at least 24 hours.
