Israel’s interior minister Silvan Shalom has resigned from politics after 13 women levelled sexual harassment allegations against him.
Mr Shalom, who also held the title of deputy prime minister and was one of the leading politicians in prime minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s ruling Likud party, denied the allegations but said he was stepping down due to pressure on his family.
“I am weary of the suffering that has been parcelled out to my family, wife, children and elderly mother. My family fully supports me, but there is no justification for the price asked of them.”
Mr Netanyahu praised Mr Shalom’s decision, saying “he is leaving under unfortunate circumstances”.
The 13 women – none of whom has lodged a formal complaint with the police – reportedly include an unnamed serving Knesset member and at least one journalist, but most were former staff members in the various ministerial positions Mr Shalom has held over the years, including foreign and finance minister.
Some of the women’s testimonies refer to incidents over recent years and involve allegations of groping of intimate body parts and attempts at forced kissing.
The first allegations emerged last year when Mr Shalom, the favourite to replace Shimon Peres, was forced to pull out of the presidential race after three former employees accused him of touching them against their will. However, the police closed the files citing insufficient evidence.
Over recent weeks more women have come forward with broadly similar stories.
Israel’s attorney general ordered the police to reopen their inquiries and a criminal investigation is now likely. However, a police source cautioned that the key to the case would be the willingness of at least some of the women to testify against Mr Shalom.
This is not the first high-profile sexual misconduct case to rock Israel. Former president Moshe Katsav is serving a seven-year prison term for rape. The police anti-fraud chief is under investigation for sexual misconduct, and last month another coalition Knesset member, Yinon Magal, resigned amid sexual harassment allegations.