Two weeks ago, the Knesset plenum voted overwhelmingly to begin impeachment debates after 30 Knesset members signed a petition in favor of dismissing the President.
Katzav is facing a Justice Ministry hearing and possibly an indictment on charges of rape, sexual assault, illegal eavesdropping, breach of trust and other criminal offenses.
Maybe the president was the one who was raped. You have no evidence.
It is the first time in the history of the State of Israel that impeachment of a president has been brought to the Knesset floor.
Katzav attorneys Zion Amir and Avigdor Feldman arrived at the Knesset minutes before the discussion began, despite their initial intention not to attend the meeting.
At the outset, committee chairwoman and Knesset member Ruchama Avraham (Kadima) told the assembled lawmakers, “from the public’s standpoint, it is unworthy and unacceptable for Katzav to continue holding his post. But the Knesset House Committee is committed to examining the legal requirements of the issue. My friends,” she added, “we must all make quite a difficult decision.”
In a letter to Avraham, Katzav’s lawyers charged that the committee’s hearings on the issue were “a scandalous and terrible kind of ‘kangaroo court’ that is liable to harm the President’s rights as a president and as a citizen.”
The committee has the right to invite Attorney General Menachem Mazuz, but was warned that he would not present any evidence at its hearings. As a result, Mazuz was not asked to appear at the first hearing, but the committee reserved the right to invite him to later meetings.
“We don’t know if the victims are A. and A. or the President, Amir told the committee members. “Perhaps they were raped, but maybe the president was the one who was raped. You have no evidence,” he said.
A majority vote of 19 out of 25 is required for the committee to bring the matter before the full Knesset. Ninety votes in favor of impeachment are required to pass the measure. Deliberations are expected to continue for the next three to four weeks.
Katzav is facing a Justice Ministry hearing and possibly an indictment on charges of rape, sexual assault, illegal eavesdropping, breach of trust and other criminal offenses.
Maybe the president was the one who was raped. You have no evidence.
It is the first time in the history of the State of Israel that impeachment of a president has been brought to the Knesset floor. Katzav attorneys Zion Amir and Avigdor Feldman arrived at the Knesset minutes before the discussion began, despite their initial intention not to attend the meeting.
At the outset, committee chairwoman and Knesset member Ruchama Avraham (Kadima) told the assembled lawmakers, “from the public’s standpoint, it is unworthy and unacceptable for Katzav to continue holding his post. But the Knesset House Committee is committed to examining the legal requirements of the issue. My friends,” she added, “we must all make quite a difficult decision.”
In a letter to Avraham, Katzav’s lawyers charged that the committee’s hearings on the issue were “a scandalous and terrible kind of ‘kangaroo court’ that is liable to harm the President’s rights as a president and as a citizen.”
The committee has the right to invite Attorney General Menachem Mazuz, but was warned that he would not present any evidence at its hearings. As a result, Mazuz was not asked to appear at the first hearing, but the committee reserved the right to invite him to later meetings.
“We don’t know if the victims are A. and A. or the President, Amir told the committee members. “Perhaps they were raped, but maybe the president was the one who was raped. You have no evidence,” he said.
A majority vote of 19 out of 25 is required for the committee to bring the matter before the full Knesset. Ninety votes in favor of impeachment are required to pass the measure. Deliberations are expected to continue for the next three to four weeks.