Police on Tuesday questioned a senior Israeli government minister and presumptive presidential candidate over allegations he committed a sex offense against a former aide 15 years ago a charge that may not hold up in court but that could derail any hopes for the presidency.
The allegations against Silvan Shalom threaten to destroy the career of one of Israel's best-known politicians and echo a case that sent a former president, Moshe Katsav, to prison after being convicted of rape.
The allegations made in recent days by a woman claiming to be Shalom's former secretary say that he invited her up to his hotel room, where he lay on a bed in a white robe and asked her to sit next to him. Army Radio did not reveal the full details of the incident but said that according to the woman's account Shalom made sexual advances at her.
"I was terrified, very frightened. I remember the feeling that was so unpleasant, so uncomfortable, where I didn't know what I was supposed to do," she said told Army Radio. Her voice was muffled in an attempt to conceal her identity.
Shalom, 55, has vehemently denied the accusations and his spokesman, Barak Seri, said he answered "all questions" when probed by police for nearly two hours on Tuesday.
Observers have said the timing of the allegation is suspect, with the race for the presidency heating up. Shalom has not formally declared his candidacy but he is widely expected to run for the position, which is selected by a parliamentary vote.
Shalom, a member of the ruling Likud Party, currently serves as the minister for energy and water resources. In a political career stretching back nearly two decades, he has held a number of top posts, including finance minister, foreign minister and deputy prime minister.
Shalom's case harkens back to the Katsav affair, in which the former president was jailed for a rape conviction committed as government Cabinet minister, as well as for a harassment charge while serving as president from 2000 to 2007.
His jailing was bittersweet for Israel. It was shameful because the former holder of a lofty office was put behind bars for such a heinous crime and at the same time, a point of honor because it showed that even a president is equal before the law in Israel.
The president holds a largely ceremonial position, representing the country at ceremonies around the world. But the president is also seen as the country's moral compass, meant to rise above politics and unify the nation in times of trouble.
The allegations against Shalom may not put him behind bars. The time elapsed since the alleged crime will not hold up in court under Israel's statute of limitations. Also, some of the answers the woman supplied during a polygraph test were deemed potential lies, according to media reports.
The lawyer representing the complainant, Roni Aloni Sadovnik, told Army Radio that she hoped other women who have may been harmed by Shalom would be prompted to come forward.
AP