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Former President Moshe Katsav speaking at a press conference in Kiryat Malachi on Thursday.
 (Reproduction)
Last update - 04:32 13/03/2009
Katsav: 'My noose is Mazuz's lifeline'
By Tomer Zarchin, Haaretz Correspondent and Haaretz Service
Tags: Katsav, Rape, Mazuz 

Moshe Katsav lashed out at the law enforcement agencies Thursday, in his first response to Attorney General Menachem Mazuz's announcement on Sunday that he plans to charge the former president with serious sexual offenses, including rape.

The speech covered numerous targets: the attorney general, the State Prosecutor's Office, the police, the women who filed the complaints against him, and the media. In particular, however, he assailed Mazuz's integrity and presented himself as a victim of the law enforcement agencies.

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I and my family are bleeding and crushed from those same intrigues that brought about my conviction in the eyes of public," he said. "I haven't committed suicide and I haven't broken, but my noose is Mazuz's lifeline."

Katsav spoke for more than two and a half hours to an almost empty hall in his hometown of Kiryat Malakhi, then infuriated the exhausted journalists by refusing to take questions. He said his legal advisors had forbidden him to do so, "so as not to become embroiled in the offense of obstructing justice." Under cover of the ensuing uproar, he and his wife, Gila, then slipped out of the hall.

The Katsav family was there in full force, occupying the front row of seats. But even they seemed to be tuning out as the speech went on and on.

"I'm proud but humiliated, worn out and hurting but determined not to give in," Katsav said. "I will not give up. I was a good president and won praise from all sides; I believe history will judge me kindly."

"For three years they've conducted a witch hunt against me," he continued. "The police, the attorney general, the prosecution and the media have trampled my honor as a man and trampled my family. I have become fair game ... but the day will come when my innocence will cry out. They've lynched me, they've almost broken me. It is impossible to stand up against a system that is so destructive and lacking all restraint. I've kept silent for two years, but no more."

Katsav accused the prosecution of systematically leaking evidence collected in his case to the media, and even showed the assembled journalists a disk that, he claimed, contained 1,500 documents related to his case and had been leaked to the media by the prosecution.

"These are documents that I asked the court to give us as part of my defense, but they were not handed over," he said. "However, they did go to the media."

Throughout his 40 years of public service, he continued, he was always careful not to "rub elbows with" what he termed "the elites and the media clique." And that, he charged, is why he is being victimized today.

Katsav also accused the prosecution of concealing material from the public that, he claimed, proves his innocence. "But the valorous press, which runs to court to get gag orders overturned over every bit of nonsense and every hiccup, was silent," he charged. "The media feared that the wild incitement and persecution against me would be proven baseless."

He lambasted numerous specific newspaper articles, quoting their contents and headlines, and also certain specific journalists. One, Shalom Yerushalmi of Maariv, stormed out of the hall after Katsav accused him of hostile reporting from the podium.

Moving on to the police, Katsav charged: "The police investigation against me was superficial, not thorough and tendentious. Twice I went over the evidence with my lawyers and I didn't find so much as a piece of evidence that could be used against me. Mazuz and [former] state prosecutor Eran Shendar evidently never bothered to read this material."

Finally, he lashed out at A., the woman he will be charged with raping, who worked under him when he was tourism minister. Katsav said he fired A. because she was untrustworthy and behaved improperly. He also said there are witnesses who reported that immediately after she received the dismissal notice, "she said, 'I'll say he sexually harassed me.' And I have dozens of other examples of how Meni Mazuz has spilled my blood in the media, with the media's assistance."

In another attempt to smear A., Katsav claimed that on the night she moved out of a rented apartment on a moshav due to a dispute with the owner, the apartment was torched. "Why don't the police investigate that?" he demanded.

"This entire affair is causing huge damage to the battle against sexual harassment," he added. "After I am acquitted - and I will be acquitted - what will people think about those who really were sexually harassed?"

Related articles:
  • Katsav accuser: 'He tried to take down my pants, there was a struggle'
  • Mazuz strikes back after Katsav's brother's slurs
  • Former president Katsav to face rape indictment
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      1.   Katsav`s condemnations, denials, casting of aspertions 20:15  |  Esther 12/03/09
      2.   what a whiner! 23:02  |  miri 12/03/09
      3.   Can you imagine what Katzav would say if Mazuz was Ashkenazi? 23:38  |  neither can I 12/03/09
      4.   no evidence,this isn`t Western justice,`s ritual 23:47  |  Sam 12/03/09
      5.   Katzav has annoyed the communist system who wish to destroy him 23:58  |  Yehuda 12/03/09
      6.   If he was really guilty why does the prosecution wait so long 00:06  |  Nasan 13/03/09
      7.   I believe Katsav. 02:21  |  Jew 13/03/09
      8.   Use The Diaper Defense Katsav 02:48  |  Yosemite 13/03/09
      9.   Katsav but not Olmart this is not democracy 04:02  |  Yochanan 13/03/09
      10.   His is the unmistakable rage of a man who has been wronged 04:07  |  Simha 13/03/09
      11.   #3 - Mazouz is a pious leftist - that`s beyond ashkenazi 04:19  |  Simha 13/03/09
      12.   Mazuz & A 04:33  |  Joshua 13/03/09
      13.   I believe Katzav. The israeli press loves a big story. 05:13  |  Beni 13/03/09
      14.   Shut up Katsav. You look extremely guilty 05:21  |  sara 13/03/09
      15.   just shut up and have a trial 08:51  |  g. lee 13/03/09
      16.   Katsav, Lieberman, Deri, Hirshson, FRIEDMAN, destroying the LAW! 08:57  |  S 13/03/09
      17.   Katsav: `My noose is Mazuz`s lifeline` 09:39  |  e. sherman 13/03/09
      18.   This should be handled in court 09:40  |  lily 13/03/09
      19.   one thing for certain 09:42  |  Michael 13/03/09
      20.   For sure there are many comments but this should be tried in 09:43  |  lily 13/03/09
      21.   Keep digging Mr Katsav 11:22  |  Diana 13/03/09
      22.   And what about poor Mazuz... 11:51  |  Esther 13/03/09
      23.   #3,,, brilliant!... hadn`t thought of that aspect as well... 11:54  |  Esther 13/03/09
      24.   Sherman #3... 12:02  |  Esther 13/03/09
      25.   Its not a noose. Its a goose. 12:09  |  Stephen. 13/03/09
      26.   #11 - Simha 12:44  |  RobertS 13/03/09
      27.   How much it costed the press to get the accuser script? 11:44  |  UlfT 15/03/09
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