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Katsav's Masks / The speech of his life
By Gideon Levy

For this speech alone, Katsav has to go.

Even if the president of the state is squeaky clean, even if he never laid a hand or any other part of his body on one of his female staff, even if he never uttered a single abusive comment, he must resign for what he said in his speech.

It was, it must be said, the speech of his life. Yesterday we discovered a Moshe Katsav we did not know. If the indictment being prepared against him removed one mask, exposing an alleged serial sex offender, then his speech yesterday has removed another mask. The mask of the shamefaced man from Kiryat Malachi, who for six and a half years beamed vague smiles in all directions and uttered boring, tedious speeches devoid of any content, came off yesterday. It exposed beneath it an aggressive, determined orator, burning with dedication.

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It has been a long time since the entire nation sat glued to its seat during a speech by one of its leaders. But the impressive package of one who did not know how to make a speech until yesterday concealed horrifying, dangerous contents. Katsav convicted-without-a-trial the media, , decision makers, the attorney general and the complainants. Only God and Gila remained without blame.

In plain language, this is called incitement. Yesterday we discovered that the man living in the President's Residence, who made lofty speeches about democracy and the rule of law, was their sworn enemy. Apparently the state's president doesn't understand the first thing about the role of the media and the institutions of law.

For years the media, police and prosecution remained idle - despite the rumors about Katsav - neglecting their duty. It was outrageously late when they at last woke up.

We also discovered yesterday that the man living in the President's Residence was a paranoid consumed by inferiority complexs. He had climbed to the highest position, yet is still convinced that an "elitist clique" is persecuting him. A new human rights fighter has emerged. Regrettably, this one is only fighting for what he sees as his own rights. But it's all right to sic Abergil against the complainants, for example.

We must not let Katsav get away with the accusations against us journalists - of "spilling his blood," "executing him without a trial" and "cooperating with the police," all the way to the fact that there are those among us guilty of the grave, original sin of not always being true to our marriages, unlike him, the faithful husband of 37 years.

No longer can we tolerate a president who incites against the law authorities. We cannot tolerate a head of state who incites his nation against the media for doing their job. Perhaps he is only suspected of rape, but he should already be convicted for yesterday's incitement. The only honest thing he can do now is to go home.

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  1.   Mobbing-Media-Network 10:57  |  Arik 25/01/07
  2.   The silence of Eli Yishai and Shas 11:07  |  SJ 25/01/07
  3.   Katsav is a symptom. 11:14  |  Kalinin 25/01/07
  4.   The Speech of his Life 11:28  |  Marlene 25/01/07
  5.   Katsav 11:37  |  Ruth Fisher 25/01/07
  6.   Gedeon Lely - a typical leftist against Katsav. 11:40  |  Vital 25/01/07
  7.   What "Rumors about Katsav" ?? 11:54  |  Ovadiah ben Avraham 25/01/07
  8.   Is the man not allowed to be human? 11:56  |  Edith 25/01/07
  9.   Katzav 11:59  |  Edith Ambar 25/01/07
  10.   Is Katgsav being bullied?? 12:10  |  Henri 25/01/07
  11.   Gideon Levy must resign! 12:24  |  joshua 25/01/07
  12.   Katsav 12:29  |  Lilly 25/01/07
  13.   Speech 12:37  |  Frank 25/01/07
  14.   I agree with Henri from France in 10 12:40  |  Edith 25/01/07
  15.   Gideon-Since When Is It Forbidden To Criticize Other?s 13:04  |  Ben Israel 25/01/07
  16.   Katsav`s Masks 13:11  |  k.herzallah 25/01/07
  17.   Haaretz the better quality 13:14  |  Edith 25/01/07
  18.   Gideon Levy, you have lost my respect. 13:20  |  Lasting peace 25/01/07
  19.   I, too, agre with #10 13:47  |  Sidney 25/01/07
  20.   Socrates and the Greece polis, the authority of the accuser 13:56  |  Fritz 25/01/07
  21.   My support to Katsav - not to Lilly-12. 14:02  |  Vital 25/01/07
  22.   The MediaI is Above the Law. 14:12  |  Nora 25/01/07
  23.   What a Mob Mentality?!!!!!!! 14:35  |  BenAbuzaglo 25/01/07
  24.   to Vital 14:49  |  the pope 25/01/07
  25.   take a chill pill gideon 15:16  |  paul 25/01/07
  26.   why only Katsav ---------go for all the corruption 15:20  |  Haytham 25/01/07
  27.   The truth hurts, and the media don`t like it! 15:31  |  L A 25/01/07
  28.   att. L.A. sent 15.31h 16:08  |  Ronit 25/01/07
  29.   Trial by Media 16:11  |  peter 25/01/07
  30.   months ago media says+ 100 16:25  |  yahn goodey 25/01/07
  31.   I support Katsav! 16:37  |  Arab 25/01/07
  32.   Another Journalistic Farse to get the president 16:52  |  Harry 25/01/07
  33.   To Haytham : what a joke ! 16:54  |  Ayala 25/01/07
  34.   gideon levy 17:08  |  gideon levy 25/01/07
  35.   what about all the unreported rapes in the PA? 17:31  |  Moshe 25/01/07
  36.   Gideon`s moral outrage is funny.He sold Israeli society 17:55  |  Absolute Sweden 25/01/07
  37.   Katsav, Incitement, Media 18:05  |  Avraham 25/01/07
  38.   Gideon Levy, no points! 18:20  |  Spoon 25/01/07
  39.   Trip to Auschwitz for journalists 18:20  |  Edith 25/01/07
  40.   Down with Levy and the press! 18:28  |  Roter 25/01/07
  41.   I beleive the President 100% 18:34  |  Fay 25/01/07
  42.   Levy & Co... 18:36  |  Arnold 25/01/07
  43.   Haaretz is hypocritical 18:36  |  Gili 25/01/07
  44.   #28 18:39  |  L A 25/01/07
  45.   Anyone who criticises you should resign? 18:53  |  Lisa 25/01/07
  46.   The President 18:58  |  Yoel 25/01/07
  47.   Katsav got his job as a way to embarass Shimon Peres 19:26  |  Gadi 25/01/07
  48.   Once more: Levy doesn`t make any sense. 19:31  |  Spoon 25/01/07
  49.   Gideon Levy is right 19:44  |  Sjoerd 25/01/07
  50.   katsav`s speech opens olmerts eyes even tho 19:50  |  yahn goodey 25/01/07
  51.   President Katsav 19:52  |  Rebecca 25/01/07
  52.   Censorsing Katsav? 20:16  |  Vines 25/01/07
  53.   honor 20:22  |  clave 25/01/07
  54.   Hiding behind his title...? 20:25  |  bazza 25/01/07
  55.   Can`t be... 20:45  |  Dan 25/01/07
  56.   Petulant media 21:33  |  WRW 25/01/07
  57.   Shame on the Media and Kol Hakavod to President Katzav 21:54  |  IsraelLover 25/01/07
  58.   Katzav, speech 22:17  |  jorge ernesto toer 25/01/07
  59.   Who do you think you are, Mr. Levy? 22:28  |  Henri 25/01/07
  60.   The definition of Repression 22:38  |  Arthur 25/01/07
  61.   The media`s fault 22:40  |  Ben 25/01/07
  62.   Kaatsav go home now......!! 23:23  |  Esther 25/01/07
  63.   Face the accuser 00:40  |  M 26/01/07
  64.   This article by Levy..... 02:07  |  Reuben Y. 26/01/07
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