ISRAEL
A Member of Israel’s Parliament, Michal Rozin (pictured) has asked the Civil Service Commission to review the allegations of sexual misconduct levelled against Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu’s Foreign Media Spokesman, David Keyes.
Ms Rozin also asked that Israel’s US Ambassador, who decided not to report warnings of Mr Keyes’s alleged inappropriate behaviour, be investigated.
The Commission said later it would conduct an inquiry, but could not consider actions taken by Mr Keyes before he took office.
“Recently, there have been testimonies from some 14 women who said that Keyes assaulted them sexually, some during his current job,” Ms Rozin wrote in a letter to newly appointed Commissioner, Daniel Hershkowitz.
She noted that US Ambassador, Ron Dermer had admitted that former Wall Street Journal Editor, Bret Stephens warned him about Mr Keyes’s alleged sexual misconduct, but that Mr Dermer said he decided not to inform Mr Netanyahu because the allegations were not criminal in nature.
Ms Rozin said that according to Israel’s Law for the Prevention of Sexual Harassment, employers must “take appropriate action” against harassment or any knowledge thereof.
She said the 1998 law also applied to Israeli Foreign Service workers, necessitating a review of Mr Dermer’s decision.
“In light of the grave concern over the serial behaviour of a senior official in the Prime Minister’s Office, and the turning of a blind eye on this subject by several Public Servants, I request an immediate and comprehensive review into this ostensible sexual harassment affair,” Ms Rozin said.
One of the women who accused Mr Keyes, New York State Senate candidate Julia Salazar, detailed her alleged 2013 sexual assault by Mr Keyes in an interview.
After that, Wall Street Journal reporter Shayndi Raice, responding to Ms Salazar’s allegation, described an “uncomfortable” encounter with Mr Keyes, whom she called a predator.
Another woman detailed to The Times of Israel an accusation of physically aggressive behaviour by Mr Keyes and said she needed to use physical force to extract herself from his attempts to engage sexually with her.
In the wake of the growing number of allegations, a number of female lawmakers called on Mr Netanyahu to suspend Mr Keyes and have condemned his silence on the matter.
Jerusalem, 16 September 2018
