Israeli President Refuses to Step Down--The Party's Over but Katsav is Still Dancing

The article at left, appearing in the Thursday, January 25, 2007 edition of The New York Times, speaks about the current turmoil within the Knesset, the Israeli Parliament. on Jan 24 Prime Minister Ehud Olmert called for the resignation of President Moshe Katsav, after the announcement that he was to be indicted on criminal charges for rape, obstruction of justice, abuse of power, breach of trust, fraud and sexual harassment.
Last Wednesday, at which point calls for his resignation were already being made, Katsav asked for a leave of absence, so as to deal with the numerous accusations springing up against him. A committee will vote to approve or deny Katsav's request for leave, but with a huge portion of parliament calling for his resignation, it is hard to call what their decision will be. The committee may even decide to begin the impeachment process, although Katsav's term is up in July.
Katsav strongly denied the accusations, which go back to 1998 when he was Israel's minister of tourism, also saying that if indicted by attorney general Menachem Mazuz (which seems highly likely), he will resign.
Katsav, an Iranian born Sephardic Jew (Jews who trace their ancestry to Spain and the Iberian Peninsula), claims that the charges have sprung up as part of a plot against him started by Ashkenazi Jews (Jews who trace their ancestry to Europe), who make up most of Israel's governmental elite.
Katsav's televised speech was one full of "anger, accusation and self-pity, remind[ing] some of Richard M. Nixon's 'Checkers' speech of 1952," the article says.

In my opinion, this situation has reached a point of ridiculousness. Katsav should just resign and be done with it. First of all, the post of President in Israeli government is mostly ceremonial anyway, and it is petty of Katsav to drag this issue out. Secondly, other Israeli officials have respectfully resigned their posts for far lesser accusations rather than let themselves become a public and international spectacle. For example, in 2000, then President Ezer Weizman resigned following allegations that he received half a million dollars as a gift from a wealthy Frenchman--a far lesser alleged crime than rape, fraud, obstruction of justice and the rest of the charges Katsav faces. Even if the charges are, as Katsav claims, false, he should step down and take the time to properly clear his name without taking up the time and resources of the Knesset, and causing a national and international tabloid fanfare. His yelling on TV, refusal to take questions from the press, and overall defensive and angry attitude are completely inappropriate. This is the behavior we have come to expect from whiny Hollywood celebrities--not the president of Israel.... and now at least the celebs are checking themselves into rehab.