Prosecution: Former Israeli President Saw Women Staffers as Sexual Objects

By Ofra Edelman (Haaretz) August 17, 2010

Former president Moshe Katsav exploited his lofty position to sexually harass female employees, treating the female workforce as a pool out of which he chose sexual objects, the prosecution in Katsav’s sexual harassment and rape trial said in transcripts released on Tuesday.

The former president faces two counts of rape against A., who worked at the Tourism Ministry from March 1998 to January 1999, when Katsav served as tourism minister. One rape allegedly took place in the minister’s office in Tel Aviv and the other at a hotel in Jerusalem. Katsav will also be charged with forcible indecent assault against A. and abusing the employer-employee relationship.

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