Former Israeli President Sentenced to Seven Years for Rape

Moshe Katsav was found guilty last December of sexual offences against three women.

A Tel Aviv court handed Katsav a sentence of seven years Tuesday, exactly the same amount of time that he served as Israel’s president between 2000 and 2007. Katsav erupted at the verdict, shouting at the judges, “You let the lies emerge victorious!” After a year-long trial behind closed doors, he was convicted in December of raping one woman and sexually harassing two more during his time as tourism minister and later president. All three women were government employees, but, in order to protect their privacy, they have never been officially named. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hailed the verdict, saying it should give Israelis pride in their justice system to know that nobody is above the law.