Deep sexual decay in Israeli judicial system

Israel police says it has recommended indicting Judge Yitzhak Cohen, who until recently was president of the Nazareth District Court, on charges of sexual assault and sexual harassment.

It is believed there is sufficient evidence to charge Cohen over two different incidents, according to Haaretz

The case has been passed on to the prosecution for a final decision on whether to indict.

The investigation, which began two and a half months ago, probed suspicions that Cohen had sexually assaulted or harassed several different women over the course of years, though in some of those cases, the statute of limitations had already lapsed.

Police took testimony from several of Cohen’s colleagues, including his deputy, Judge Tawfic Kteily, who is known to have a tense relationship with him.

His other deputy, Judge Avraham Avraham, also testified.

One of Cohen’s suspected victims is a former prosecutor who told both her superiors in the prosecution and Cohen’s judicial colleagues about his behavior immediately after the incidents occurred.

On Wednesday, Cohen submitted his resignation from the judiciary. He has been on leave since September, when the suspicions against him first reached the Justice Ministry.

Until then, he had been on the list of candidates for the Supreme Court.