JERUSALEM: A spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced his resignation yesterday, following a series of sexual misconduct allegations against him.
David Keyes, Netanyahu’s spokesman for international media, said in September he was taking a leave of absence “to clear my name” after being accused of sexual assault by Julia Salazar, who was subsequently elected to the New York state senate.
An Israeli civil service probe cleared him of misconduct during his time as an Israeli government employee but had no mandate to investigate allegations from overseas.
The accusations date back to before Keyes took up his job in the prime minister’s office in 2016, when he was living in the United States.
Before joining Netanyahu’s office, US-born Keyes was executive director of New York-based Advancing Human Rights, an NGO which sought to assist dissidents in oppressive countries.
Netanyahu said in a statement yesterday that he was accepting Keyes’s resignation, without mentioning the allegations.
“I thank David Keyes for his great contribution to Israel’s information effort,” he said. “I wish him much success on his future course.”
The English-language statement also quoted Keyes, who regularly appeared on television while working for the premier.
“I thank the Israel Civil Service Commission for closing its probe against me, stating ‘There is no evidence or even a shred of evidence’ of wrongdoing as an employee of the government,” he said.
“Having been deeply inspired by how Israeli innovation is improving the lives of people around the world, I have decided to pursue new opportunities in the private sector.”
Salazar has been criticised over inconsistencies in details about other parts of her life she has shared.
But the Times of Israel news site reported in September that 11 other women had also accused Keyes of inappropriate behaviour.
Ten of the woman spoke to the news site on condition of anonymity. Wall Street Journal reporter Shayndi Raice went public with accusations against Keyes.
“The man had absolutely no conception of the word ‘no’,” she said on Twitter.
“No matter how often I said no, he would not stop pushing himself on me. I was able to extricate myself quickly and it was a very brief and uncomfortable moment but I knew as I walked away I had encountered a predator.” — AFP
