Last update - 00:00 28/09/2006
Shendar: Ramon crossed the line in kissing female soldier
By Yuval Yoaz, Haaretz Correspondent
In his first public comments since the state decided to indict MK Haim Ramon, State Prosecutor Eran Shendar told Haaretz that in forcibly kissing a female soldier, Ramon had crossed the line from flirtation to indecency.
"If it was about flirtation between former minister Haim Ramon and plaintiff A., about a consensual kiss that took place during a party, there would be no reason to indict Ramon," Shendar said. "But it wasn't flirtation and it wasn't consensual. This is a 56-year-old man who grasped the face of a girl, a soldier slightly older than 20, and while grasping her face against her will, brings his mouth close and inserts his tongue - and that meets the definition of an indecent act."
Ramon, a Kadima MK, resigned as justice minister last month, after the allegations became public.
The full interview with Shendar will be published in Haaretz's Yom Kippur supplement on Sunday.
Shendar said that while the press had reported the kissing incident, the public remained unaware of most of the evidence in the case. He said the details publicized so far were those that were convenient for the accused.
"The public discourse is not being conducted over the entire picture," Shendar said. "I haven't heard descriptions of how the plaintiff was photographed the same way with women at that workplace, and with other men, in the same paternal and intimate embrace."
Shendar said that although the prosecution's case was based on the plaintiff's accusations, the case was not of the "he said, she said" variety because there was corroborating evidence of what took place between the plaintiff and Ramon during the kiss and in the moments preceding it.
"To a certain and indirect extent, there is additional evidence," Shendar said, but refused to elaborate.
He indicated that Ramon was not being singled out, saying many men had been indicted over forcible kissing, in accordance with the prosecution's practice. Forcible kissing constitutes a criminal offense, Shendar said, "and we saw no reason to deviate here from what is customary."
Nonetheless, Ramon's high-profile status did play some role in the probe; Shendar said the decision to fully investigate the complaint had been made because the case was of great public interest.
"I heard complaints about discrimination, and they even brought in the 'Buzaglo test' [indicating that public figures don't deserve special treatment]," Shendar said. "When there is a complaint against a minister, of course there is a public interest in completing it as quickly as possible because it has many ramifications. It could be that if this was about a regular citizen, it would have been possible to wait a few months until the plaintiff was to return to Israel. But then they would attack us, [asking] how come, when a minister is involved, we put him out of commission and he is dependent on the inquiry results in another few months. When a minister is involved, there is a different significance to completing the investigation, and therefore the confrontation took place while she was abroad."
Shendar said the decision to convince the plaintiff to provide her version of events was made before he and Attorney General Menachem Mazuz realized that the suspect was the justice minister at the time.
"It was brought to our attention that there was a complaint about an indecent act carried out by a minister, but we did not know his identity," Shendar said. "We thought that if there was a complaint about an indecent act on the part of a minister, everything should be done to complete the investigation, and it very quickly became clear to us that the injured party was about to leave the country to go on a trip she had planned months in advance."
As happens fairly regularly, said Shendar, "complainants hesitate a lot about submitting their complaints because they fear what they can expect in terms of the public campaign.
"We knew there was a complainant who was hesitating and leaning toward not complaining, as happens in many cases involving regular citizens, because the attack and the public exposure are not easy," he continued. "That's why this incident was not exceptional. She was persuaded to complain, but she was not pressured in any way. A short time before she complained, we were informed that Minister Ramon was involved."
Was there any special preparation when you found out the suspect was the minister sitting with you in the same ministry?
"There was a lot of unpleasantness, but no special preparations," Shendar said. "And there was great regret."