A National Disgrace

President Moshe Katsav is a national disgrace. I 'm not sure what is more disgusting as someone who is supposed to represent all that is good and decent in Israeli society in addition to being a representative for social unity, the charges that he is facing or last week's diatribe against the state and its institutions. It is repugnant enough that he is going to be indicted for rape, sexual harassment and a few other related charges. As opposed to the case of Haim Ramon where I am inclined to give him the benefit of the doubt based on some things I have heard, ten women came forward after the story broke last summer claiming that Katsav had sexually harassed them or worse. Five cases were not investigated because the statute of limitations had expired. In the end, all of the charges to be filed are based on the testimony of two women.
After the announcement that the Attorney General would indict Kastav, politicians from across the spectrum called upon him to resign. The nation waited, hoping that what would happen is that this seasoned politician, the president of our nation, the head of state would recognize the gravity of the situation and in a dignified way address the nation and resign from office. We all expected him to finally defend himself. No Israeli politician goes quietly into the night; however there are ways to accomplish this. What the Israeli public was treated to last Wednesday was our president angrily striking out, lambasting the media, the police, the attorney general, politicians and even pulling out the race card, declaring that it was persecution by the elites because he is Sephardic. Now here is a man who has reached the top, who symbolized what even an Israeli from the humblest of origins can achieve, who still could be a force for unity, but who instead, as head of state, decides to become a force for disunity. It was a disgusting, shameful performance which dishonored the office of the presidency, the State of Israel, its institutions and its people.
Now, it is true that the media does over blow things and go on witch hunts. However all you have to do is look at how they go after politicians across the ethnic stream (although Arab members of Knesset seem to be off limits) to realize that Katsav was not singled out. It is also true that the police have a habit of leaking information to the press which is pretty disgusting in of itself and is something which needs to be addressed, however it does not excuse Katsav's behavior. He needs to resign. The fact that he only request (and was granted) a leave of absence is also a national disgrace. The president of Israel should be someone we respect, not an embarrassment.