Others thought it's about time a society that reveres military-style machismo
starts reining in its men.
Former Justice Minister Haim Ramon was found guilty Wednesday after a trial
that focused attention on changing norms in Israel at a time when its president
is facing much more serious sexual charges.
"Good morning to a new standard," wrote commentator Tali Lipkin-Shahak in the
daily newspaper Maariv on Thursday. "This is a process of internalization, of a
deep understanding of the basic value of liberty, the liberty of a woman's body
and soul."
Few Protested
Israel has a history of winking at behaviour linked to its military and the
tough-guy mind-set that goes with it. For years, few protested the assumption
that top officials were taking advantage of women, especially those in their
offices or under their command.
But this has begun to change in recent years, with several senior army officers
charged with sexual misconduct as women began asserting their rights.
Former Defence Minister Yitzhak Mordechai, a retired general, was convicted in
2001 in two cases of sexual assault.
Now President Moshe Katsav, whose duties are largely ceremonial, is facing rape
charges and other serious allegations over his dealings with women in his
office.
Ramon was accused by a female soldier who worked in the prime minister's office
of kissing her against her will. She is known only as "H" since Israeli law
prohibits publishing the names of victims of sexual crimes.
"H" charged that Ramon grabbed her chin, kissed her and forced his tongue
through her lips after she had hugged him while posing for a picture.
Ramon countered that she flirted with him and invited the kiss.
A three-judge panel convicted Ramon, 56, of sexual misconduct, rejecting all
his claims. He faces up to three years in prison.
"There are some lines that cannot be crossed," said Judge Hayuta Kochan.
"This was not a kiss of affection. This has all the elements of sexual crime,"
she said.
Just Posed
His accuser told Israel's Channel 10 after the verdict that she never flirted
with Ramon, although she had just posed with him, at her request, for two
pictures with their arms around each other.
"You understand the gap between us? He's eight years older than my father.
There is no chance I could look at him and say that I would go out with him,
that I could hit on him," she said.
Many Israelis supported the conviction, feeling that overzealous Israeli men
might finally learn their lesson.
But many others, men and women alike, felt "H" had gone too far, perhaps only
out of a desire to ruin Ramon.
"This is too much. He just tried to kiss her," said Maya Ish-Shalom, a
19-year-old soldier, as her friend nodded her head in agreement.
Many media commentators agreed with them.
"This issue is worthy of public discussion on the moral level, not on the level
of legal deliberations, and certainly not court proceedings," wrote Ben-Dror
Yemini in Maariv.
