Sex crimes trial opens for prominent Israeli actor

The sex crimes trial of prominent Israeli actor Moshe Ivgy opened Monday at the Haifa Magistrate’s Court, where he faces four counts of indecent acts and three of sexual harassment.

Ivgy, 64, refused to speak with reporters as he entered the courtroom to hear the charges against him. The court session was held behind closed doors.

Prosecutors said they filed the charges last month after finding sufficient evidence that Ivgy had exploited his status to commit indecent acts and sexually harass four women in 2012 and 2013, some of them in his workplace.

Rumors in November of a plea deal, whereby Ivgy would admit to the allegations but not face criminal charges, were denied by the prosecution.

The prizewinning actor and director was born in Morocco and moved to Israel with his parents as a baby.

The initial accusations against Ivgy were leveled in February 2016.

Of six original accusers, four women were willing to cooperate with the police investigation.

All six accused Ivgy of harassing them while they were working together on various films, TV shows, and plays.

The women told the Walla news site of private rehearsals in which Ivgy would force himself on them, often insisting on unnecessary “rehearsing” of intimate scenes, and kissing them against their will.

Ivgy, who denies any wrongdoing, said in February 2016 he would take a break from acting for the duration of the probe.

“In light of the wave of reports rocking my life and causing my family much grief, I have decided to take a timeout,” Ivgy said in a statement last year, “I repeat – I did not harm a single person, man or woman.” He declined to respond to the allegations publicly, but said he “would do so fully” in the police investigation.

Ivgy has appeared in dozens of films, plays and television shows, including “Hunting Elephants” (2013) and Steven Spielberg’s “Munich,” and won an Ophir — Israel’s Academy Award — for his supporting role in “Metallic Blues” in 2004, the same year he was nominated for Best Actor for his role in the award-winning “Campfire.”

In October 2016 Ivgy was awarded Best Actor in a Feature Film by the Haifa International Film Festival on Monday for his role in the film “The 90 Minute War,” prompting outrage from women’s rights groups.