New Harassment Claim Against Minister Shalom, Police Probe Tweet by His Wife

As another woman came forward Thursday with allegations that Interior Minister Silvan Shalom had sexually harassed her at work, the police are investigating tweets by the minister’s wife, Judy Shalom Nir-Mozes, in which she seemingly threatened to besmirch the complainants.

Following three previous accusations against the minister, a fourth woman told Israel Radio Thursday morning that Shalom had previously tried to forcibly kiss her and stick his tongue into her mouth. According to the unnamed woman, the incident occurred during a work meeting a number of years ago.

Like the other women, the accuser is not interested in filing a formal complaint with the police. However, she made clear that she would testify in court if required. Shalom responded by saying the woman was rehashing baseless claims.

Meanwhile, senior police officers are looking into messages that Nir-Mozes posted on Twitter. Nir-Mozes, who owns a minority stake in Yedioth Ahronoth, tweeted a warning on Thursday morning that she would besmirch the women’s reputations. Police are investigating the two tweets she posted, one of which was deleted shortly after, to determine whether they constituted intimidation or interfered with a potential investigation of the women’s complaints.

The first complaint against Shalom was made last year, when a woman said he had exploited his position as her boss, over a decade ago, by asking her to perform oral sex on him. However, because the statute of limitations had expired, Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein closed the investigation in May 2014.

Another woman told Haaretz earlier this week that, for over a year, Shalom had tried on numerous occasions to touch her against her will. A third woman, meanwhile, told Channel 10 television this week that Shalom tried to kiss her on two separate occasions. One of these times, he also allegedly put his hand under her skirt.