Israeli General Faces Double Rape Charge
Graphic by Angelie Zaslavsky
JERUSALEM — An Israeli general was indicted in the rape and sexual assault of two female subordinates four months after his promotion to a prominent post was canceled over the accusations.
Brig.-Gen. Ofek Buchris, 47, was indicted Thursday by the Military Advocate General for the sexual offenses allegedly committed between 2010 and 2012. In March, not only was his promotion to head the Operations Division nixed when the allegations came to light, he also was suspended from his temporary post with the army’s Command and Staff College.
He has denied the allegations and reportedly passed two privately funded polygraph tests.
As commander of the Golani Brigade from 2010 to 2012, Buchris is suspected of having raped and sexually abused one of the soldiers; a second soldier came forward several days after the first accusations were made.
As a battalion commander, Buchris was critically injured during Operation Defensive Shield in 2002 and was awarded a citation for his bravery.
Buchris reportedly was on a shortlist of potential candidates for IDF chief of staff down the line.
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.
