World Disgraced Avoiding charges of rape, Israeli President Katsav pleads guilty to lesser charges. Dan Baron Jewish Telegraphic Agency Jerusalem H is reputation in shambles from a sex scandal that broke a year ago and swelled in subsequent months, Israel's outgoing president put an end to the sordid chapter last week by agreeing to a plea bargain after months of insisting on his innocence. Under the deal announced June 28, President Moshe Katsav will plead guilty to sexually harassing and molesting female staff in exchange for prosecutors' agreement not to pursue rape charges against him. He will resign early, receive a suspended prison sentence and pay com- pensation to the complainants. This marks the first time an Israeli head of state has been convicted of sexual misconduct — a legacy many hope soon will be forgotten after Shimon Peres takes over the presidency July 15. For much of this year, Katsav was on a leave of absence and Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik served as acting president. "Israel's No. 1 citizen has become a con- victed sexual offender:' Attorney General Menachem Mazuz told reporters. "The shame will accompany him forever!' The deal immediately was deplored by women's rights group and others who saw the plea bargain as an easy pass for a member of Israel's political elite, the latest in a long string of convictions and lenient sentences for a corrupt Israeli leadership. Israel Frustrates UJC The president and New York/JTA CEO of the United Jewish Communities says the Israeli government is shirking its responsibilities to its war-weary com- munities. Last week in Israel, Howard Rieger said Israel has not followed through on its commitments to rebuild Israel's north and Sderot a year after Israel's war with Hezbollah and amid ongoing shelling from the Gaza Strip. He expressed concern that the govern- ment again was asking the UJC for money to refurbish bomb shelters. "Why hasn't it been solved within the last 12 months?" he asked. — 20 July 5 • 2007 Israeli President Moshe Katsav, shouting at a Jan. 24 news conference, had hotly denied sex allegations. The attorney for the employee of the president's residence who had accused Katsav of rape, known as Complainant A, petitioned Israel's High Court of Justice in an effort to block the plea deal, but her request was denied. "The attorney general gave in to pres- sure and the prosecutor forfeited the doing of justice because we're talking about the president:' attorney Kinneret Barashi told reporters. "This is a black day. At issue is a complainant who told her truth, in which she believes. "Along with her, I will fight by all means in order to change this decision and bring justice to light. I have a great deal to say, and the last word has yet to be said." Mazuz said the State Attorney's Office entered the plea bargain because it foresaw difficulties in proving the toughest allega- tions, some of them dating back years. "A confession by the president is no trivial matter:' Mazuz said, defending the agreement. But others disagreed. "The plea bargain sends a clear message to sexual assault Rieger also said Israel has failed to ful- fill its commitments to accelerate the pace of Ethiopian aliyah and ease the absorp- tion of Ethiopians into Israel. Australia To Aid P.A., Gazans Agency Helps Gaza Evacuees The Jewish Agency for Jerusalem/JTA Israel launched a rehabilitation program for former Gaza Strip settlers. Under the $1.5 million program, some 8,000 Israelis evacuated from Gaza and four West Bank settlements in 2005 will be offered career guidance and emotional support. Two years after the evacuations, many of the former settlers have not adjusted to their new lives and complain of government inattention. — Sydney/JTA Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer said his coun- try would continue to isolate Hamas, but give $3.4 million to support the new emer- gency Palestinian Authority government and another $2.6 million for humanitarian aid in Gaza. Downer was on a two-day visit to Israel and the territories, said there is a "real chance" to renew the peace process. — Bush To Name Muslim Envoy President Bush Washington/JTA plans to name a special envoy to the Organization of the Islamic Conference. Bush, speaking Wednesday at the reded- — victims: Better to stay quiet, better not to tell: the Association of Rape Crisis Centers said in response. "In the State of Israel, there is no one to safeguard the victims of sexual assault." When Mazuz's office first said in January that it was considering a rape indictment, Katsav took a leave of absence but angrily denied wrongdoing. In a rau- cous speech in which the president clearly lost his temper, Katsav spoke of himself as the victim of a "witch hunt" targeting successful members of Israel's Sephardic underclass. Israeli media quoted sources close to Katsav as saying that he entered the plea bargain not because he believes he is guilty, but as a stopgap measure to spare his fam- ily the grief of a protracted public trial. Avigdor Feldman, one of Katsav's law- yers, denied that the resolution of his client's case set a worrisome precedent for serious sex crimes in Israel. "This is a case in which there was pressure brought to bear on women to lodge complaints against the president, to shore up the case against the president. A woman who suf- fers from a sexual attack has nothing to fear:' Feldman told Israel Radio. Katsav, 62, was born in Iran in 1945 and lived in a transit camp after immigrating to Israel with his family at the age of 5. His meteoric rise in politics as a member of the Likud Party was capped by his sur- prising defeat of Peres in the 2000 presi- dential election. Katsav is married and has five children. ication of Washington's Islamic Center, said the envoy to the world's largest Islamic umbrella body "will listen to and learn from representatives from Muslim states and will share with them America's views and values. "This is an opportunity for Americans to demonstrate to Muslim communities our interest in respectful dialogue and continued friendship." In his speech, Bush cast the defense of freedoms of Muslims as part of a tradition of defending the rights of Jews in the for- mer Soviet Union, Christians behind the Iron Curtain and Muslims in China and Burma. He also reiterated his support for Palestinian statehood.