Advertisement |
Moshe Katsav (Hebrew: משה קצב, born Musa Qasab, December 5, 1945) is a former Israeli politician. He served as the eighth President of Israel, a leading Likud member of the Israeli Knesset, and a Cabinet Minister in its government.
The end of his presidency was marked by controversy, stemming from allegations of rape of one female subordinate and sexual harassment of others. Katsav resigned the presidency on 1 July 2007. In a landmark and unprecedented case, on 30 December 2010, Katsav was convicted of two counts of rape, obstruction of justice and other charges. On 22 March 2011, Katsav was handed a seven-year sentence by an Israeli court for rape and other sexual offences, in what became a landmark ruling.
Katsav was born in Yazd, Iran as Musa Qasab. His family brought him to Tehran when he was an infant; in June 1951, when he was five, they emigrated to Israel. He remains fluent in Persian.