Israeli Parliament Allows Katsav Leave

Israeli President Moshe Katsav shouts during a press conference at his Jerusalem residence, Wednesday, Jan. 24, 2007. Katsav, facing charges of rape and abuse of power, asked parliament Wednesday to temporarily remove him from office in an effort to blunt growing calls for his resignation, but hotly denied the accusations and charged Israeli media with a "witch hunt" against him.(AP Photo/Sebastian Scheiner) (Sebastian Scheiner - AP)

JERUSALEM -- Moshe Katsav temporarily relinquished his powers as Israel's president Thursday, but defied demands from officials to quit outright and spare the nation more anguish over rape and sexual assault allegations leveled against him.

The accusations have sent shock waves even in a country accustomed to seeing its leaders embroiled in scandal.

A parliamentary committee on Thursday narrowly approved Katsav's request for a leave of absence of up to three months. Dozens of lawmakers, meanwhile, pressed ahead with a move to oust him.

The difference between suspension and outright removal from office is that as long as Katsav is even technically president, he enjoys immunity from prosecution.

Katsav, who insists he is the innocent victim of a conspiracy, says he won't quit unless he is formally indicted. He will plead his case at a hearing before Attorney General Meni Mazuz, who has signaled his intent to put the 61-year-old president on trial.

Katsav stepped aside after parliament's House Committee voted 13-11 to grant his request. Parliamentary speaker Dalia Itzik stepped in as acting president, the first woman to hold the post.

For seven months, Katsav has been at the center of allegations that he preyed on women who worked for him, threatening to fire them if they didn't grant him sexual favors. His four accusers painted a picture diametrically opposed to Katsav's innocuous, even dull public image _ and the president, proclaiming his innocence, has said they were out for revenge because he fired them.

"I am not prepared to give in to blackmail, to lies," Katsav said Wednesday in an often vitriolic speech in which he rejected calls for his resignation. "Truth is on my side."

Minutes later, Prime Minister Ehud Olmert _ himself the subject of a criminal investigation _ said it was not enough for the president to take a leave of absence and called on Katsav to resign.

"Under these circumstances, there is no doubt in my mind that the president cannot continue to fulfill his position and he must leave the president's residence," Olmert said.

Lawmaker Zehava Galon, who is leading parliamentary efforts to remove Katsav, was outraged the House Committee didn't immediately start work on ousting him. "The decision taken today is a prize for a man accused of rape," she said. "Instead of finding himself behind bars, this man ... gets a prize of continuing to serve as president."

Committee chairwoman Ruhama Avraham said the panel would begin deliberating Katsav's removal next week.