Settler leader accused of sexual assault formally steps down

The head of a large settlement bloc formally stepped down on Monday, nearly two months after announcing he would resign over allegations that he sexually assaulted a woman and paid her off to keep quiet.

In September, Channel 10 reported that Davidi Perl, chairman of the Etzion Bloc Regional Council, agreed to pay a reported NIS 200,000 ($53,000) to a 20-year-old Jerusalem woman who made a complaint against him with the Takana Forum, which specializes in dealing discreetly with sexual abuse cases within the Modern Orthodox community. In return, the woman withdrew her complaint and Perl agreed to not run for council in any future elections.

Following calls for his resignation from politicians and members of the national-religious community, Perl succumbed to public pressure and announced in October that he would resign.

Perl has continued to maintain his innocence and has said that he paid the woman solely to protect his family and prevent the accusations becoming public.

“Although there is no impediment to me continuing my term, for various reasons, especially the good of my family, I have decided to step down,” he said in a statement in October.

Perl’s acting replacement is deputy chairman Moshe Saville. Elections for a new chairman will take place in the next two months, according to Israel Radio.

The Etzion Bloc, located south and southeast of Jerusalem, is home to some 70,000 people living in more than 20 settlements.