Protesters demonstrate against President Katsav's
plea bargain agreement in Tel Aviv's Rabin Square.
Photo courtesy of Activestills

In less than 48 hours, and little prior publicity, more than 20,000 people came to Tel Aviv's Rabin Square last week to express their frustration at the Attorney General's plea bargain agreement with President Katsav. In exchange for a suspended prison sentence for his confession to charges of sexual harassment and indecent assault, the Attorney General agreed to drop rape charges against Katsav.

Writing in Yediot Ahronot, Israel Prize winning journalist Nahum Barnea observed: "The major presence [at the demonstration] reflects two phenomena. Firstly feminist and civil human rights values that several years ago were accepted by only the few are today at the heart of a consensus. Secondly, sectors of the population that once avoided political topics are now deeply fed up and outspoken about what is happening in the corridors of power."

Meanwhile, a five-Justice panel headed by Supreme Court President Dorit Beinisch will rule next week on whether the plea bargain agreement should be cancelled. Among the petitioners to the Supreme Court are NIF grantees Kolech: Religious Women's Forum and Association of Rape Crisis Centers.

The revelations surrounding the President's behavior have also affected Israel's Arab sector. According to Aida Tuma-Suleiman, Director of NIF grantee Women Against Violence, there has been a 23% increase in reports about sexual abuse in recent months. Many Arab women have claimed that the publicity surrounding the Katsav case gave them the courage to step forward.