22 December 2016•Update: 22 December 2016
By Anees Barghouti
JERUSALEM
Former Israeli President Moshe Katsav was released from prison this week after public prosecutors decided not to appeal a parole board's decision to free him.
Katsav, 71, was released from the Maasiyahu Prison in central Israel on Wednesday after serving five years of a seven-year jail term for rape.
In December of 2010, Katsav was convicted of committing rape and sexual assault while serving as a cabinet minister. He was also convicted of sexually harassing two women while serving as president.
In late 2011, he began serving out a seven-year prison sentence.
Katsav was chosen for the presidency by the Knesset (Israel’s parliament) in 2000. He was forced to resign in 2007 -- 15 days before his term ended -- amid mounting allegations of sexual impropriety.
According to the Jerusalem Post, Katsav will not receive key perks usually granted to former presidents since was convicted of crimes involving moral turpitude.
"Due to a decision by the Knesset finance committee, Katsav will not receive an office, secretary, expenses for his residence, a car and driver, a daily newspaper or a cellular phone with unlimited calls," the newspaper reported.
Whether or not he will be given a bodyguard will depend on an assessment by Israel's Shin Bet domestic intelligence agency, according to the Jerusalem Post.
Israel’s eighth president, Katsav was a leading member of the right-wing Likud party, which is currently led by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
He is the first Israeli president to serve out a jail sentence.
