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| Silvan Shalom |
Israeli
Deputy Prime Minister Silvan Shalom has resigned over accusations from several
women that he sexually molested them.
According
to media reports, the 57-year-old man said on Monday in Tel Aviv that it
had become necessary for him to resign, because the distress was becoming
unbearable for him.
In his words, “I have had enough of the distress and I hope to
protect my mother, wife and five children from further scandal. “My family
stands behind me, but it is no longer worth the cost,” he said.
In the
same vein, the Israeli Attorney-General, Yehuda Weinstein, has launched an
investigation into the claims, which forced Shalom out of the presidential race
last year.
Shalom was a leading member of the ruling right-wing Likud party
and had previously served as foreign and finance minister. Israeli Prime
Minister Benjamin Netanyahu had tasked Shalom in May with leading negotiations
with Palestinians. The talks stalled last year and Shalom had spoken out
in the past against a Palestinian state.
Meanwhile, politicians from the left-liberal opposition party,
Merez, welcomed the resignation as a “victory for public norms” that must be
followed by Israel’s political representatives.
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