Israeli parliament approves Katsav's suspension

JERUSALEM, Jan 25 (Reuters) An Israeli parliamentary panel approved today a request by President Moshe Katsav to take a leave of absence after prosecutors drafted criminal charges against him for alleged rape and other sexual misconduct.

The Knesset House Committee voted by 13-11 to declare Katsav ''temporarily incapacitated'' for three months, a face-saving measure for the presidency while Attorney General Menachem Mazuz decides whether to order what would be an unprecedented felony trial for an Israeli head of state.

But committee chairperson Ruhama Avraham said after the vote that many parliamentarians wanted tougher measures against Katsav, and discussions to impeach him could begin next week.

''For many lawmakers it is not suitable and not correct that the president should be able to continue in his role for a single day longer,'' she said.

Katsav, 61, has denied wrongdoing in the scandal that erupted last year after several former employees came forward to accuse him of rape, molestation and sexual harassment. He could be jailed for 16 years if convicted on the most serious count.

Katsav has immunity from prosecution, a status unaffected by suspension from his largely ceremonial duties.

To be tried before his tenure ends in July, he must resign or be impeached by a 3/4 parliamentary majority -- options some House Committee members suggested may be less likely if the suspension is seen as having served justice.

''Looking around, I see that those who seem to prefer to think of him (Katsav) as innocent are the ones favouring temporary incapacitation,'' said Michael Melchior, a centre-left lawmaker and Orthodox rabbi who voted against the motion.

''What, is he physically incapacitated, like Ariel Sharon?'' Melchior added, referring to the former Israeli prime minister, who has been in a coma since suffering a major stroke last year.

Katsav's case has touched a raw nerve among Israelis, already rattled by the inconclusive Lebanon war and angered at corruption allegations dogging Prime Minister Ehud Olmert.

A survey commissioned by Israel's best-selling Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper found that 71 per cent of Israelis think Katsav should resign, with 29 per cent wanting him to stay on.

In a televised speech on Wednesday that spilled over into an attack on Israeli prosecutors, police and media pundits, Katsav pledged to step down if indicted but also argued that he was the victim of a witch-hunt that could be ethnically motivated.

The allegations against the Iranian-born leader, whose rise from the slums once served as a shining example for disadvantaged Jewish immigrants from the Middle East and North Africa, have stirred deep emotions in Israel, where the ceremonial presidency is supposed to be a beacon of morality.

''I will fight to clear my name,'' the tearful Katsav vowed.

Olmert, who has himself fended off calls by opposition lawmakers to quit since the July-August offensive against Lebanese Hezbollah guerrillas, appeared on Wednesday to get behind those who would see Katsav go home.

''I have no doubt in my heart the president cannot continue to carry out his duties and that he must leave the presidential residence,'' Olmert said in a policy speech.

During Katsav's leave of absence, Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik will temporarily fill in. Israeli media have speculated that Itzik could seek to succeed Katsav, but opinion polls show that elder statesman Shimon Peres is the favoured candidate.

Katsav won the presidency in 2000, beating Nobel Peace Prize laureate Peres. That election followed the resignation of Ezer Weizman amid revelations he received 0,000 in gifts from a French magnate. Weizman died in 2005.

REUTERS MS ND2048