2nd woman steps forward to say Stern ignored her sexual harassment complaint

Another woman steps forward to say Intelligence Minister Elazar Stern ignored her complaint of sexual harassment during his military service.

Stern drew an outcry Sunday when he said he had “shredded many anonymous complaints” during his time as head of the IDF’s Manpower Directorate and indicated he was referring to claims of sexual assault as well. He later said in TV interviews that he “never shredded complaints of sexual harassment.”

A 46-year-old woman tells Channel 13 on condition of anonymity that she turned to Stern in the 1990s to complain about sexual harassment by a senior officer. Stern — a commander at the time — told her, “It’s nonsense, it’s nothing, I’ll look into it,” according to her account, but never followed up to investigate.

Stern, in response, says that in the incident in question, he responded to the allegations by shortening the officer’s military service and transferring him to another location.

Following his Sunday comments, another woman told Channel 13 anonymously that during his time as head of the IDF’s officers’ school Stern had threatened her not to repeat the allegations she’d raised against a noncommissioned officer.