Israeli Journalist Dan Margalit Accused Of Sexual Misconduct By 7 Women
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
JERUSALEM (JTA) — At least seven women have accused long-time Israeli journalist Dan Margalit of sexual harassment and sexual assault.
Five of the women came forward about Margalit, who started his journalism career in the 70s with the Haaretz newspaper and currently serves as one of the newspaper’s columnists, in an article Tuesday in Haaretz. Two more women came forward on Thursday.
Most of the women were young journalists when the incidents occurred, and friends who they told about the encounters at the time that they took place have confirmed the stories. At least two of the women took polygraph tests at Haaretz’ behest, and were found to be speaking truthfully.
In a statement to Haaretz, Margalit, 80, denied the accusations. “There is nothing to these claims about incidents that allegedly happened more than 30 years ago. I don’t intend to devote my remaining years to an argument that has no chance at this moment, given the prevailing mood,” he wrote in the statement.
Margalit in 1977 while serving as the Washington DC correspondent for Haaretz broke the story of Leah Rabin’s United States bank account, which was illegal at the time and which led to Rabin’s resignation.
This is a moment of great uncertainty. Here’s what you can do about it.
We hope you appreciated this article. Before you go, we’d like to ask you to please support the Forward’s independent Jewish news this Passover. All donations are being matched by the Forward Board - up to $100,000.
This is a moment of great uncertainty for the news media, for the Jewish people, and for our sacred democracy. It is a time of confusion and declining trust in public institutions. An era in which we need humans to report facts, conduct investigations that hold power to account, tell stories that matter and share honest discourse on all that divides us.
With no paywall or subscriptions, the Forward is entirely supported by readers like you. Every dollar you give this Passover is invested in the future of the Forward — and telling the American Jewish story fully and fairly.
The Forward doesn’t rely on funding from institutions like governments or your local Jewish federation. There are thousands of readers like you who give us $18 or $36 or $100 each month or year.
Support our mission to tell the Jewish story fully and fairly.
