From the Liveblog of
Monday, September 14, 2026
Deputy mayor accused of sex crimes against city worker said questioned on suspicion of threatening her
Add ToI as a Preferred Source on GoogleA Rishon Lezion deputy mayor who is accused of sex crimes against a city employee was questioned Wednesday on suspicion of threatening her, Hebrew media reports.
When police arranged for the deputy mayor to meet in person with the worker, the suspect said he would reveal WhatsApp messages the accuser had sent him, which “sounded to the investigator who conducted the [meeting] as though he were threatening the complainant,” a source quoted by the Ynet news site says.
The deputy mayor’s attorney Ofer Almog tells Ynet that the suspect denies making any threats, and that his comments in the meeting were made “out of genuine distress regarding false claims raised by the complainant.”
The deputy mayor, whose name is under a gag order, was arrested on August 5, but returned to work last week after restrictions against him were lifted.
The complainant has been on sick leave since the arrest and has requested the municipality establish a framework that will let her come back to work without coming into contact with the suspect, the Kan public broadcaster reports.
The municipality tells the outlet that it is “accompanying the complainant with sensitivity” and “has offered her several alternatives that will allow her to continue working in a protected manner.”
The Times of Israel Community.