Israel: Katsav guilty of rape

2006-10-20 17:11

Jerusalem - Most Israelis believe embattled President Moshe Katsav is guilty of rape, according to an opinion poll published on Friday just days after police recommended that he face such charges.

Asked whether they thought Katsav committed the rape, 52% of respondents said yes, 25% said they did not know and 23% said they thought not, according to the results of the survey published in the Maariv newspaper.

The same poll found that 39% of those surveyed think the Iranian-born president should resign immediately and that 23% think he should suspend himself from duties. Only nine percent thought he should not resign.

Police said on Sunday an investigation had produced enough evidence to charge the 60-year-old Katsav with rape, sexual harassment and wire-tapping - the most serious charges ever levelled against an Israeli leader.

Poll carries a 4.3% margin of error

Prosecutors have begun to draft an indictment, which will be presented to attorney general Menachem Mazuz within two to three weeks.

Mazuz will then decide whether to press formal charges.

Katsav, who rose from obscurity to become Israel's first president from a right-wing party in July 2000, has vigorously denied the allegations.

Friday's poll was based on a representative sample of 500 people and carried a margin of error of 4.3%.

- AFP