Israeli Broadcasting Boss ‘Temporarily Stepping Aside’ After Rape Accusations

“I’m temporarily stepping aside from my position at Keshet until my innocence is proved,” says Keshet Broadcasting President Alex Gilady

Alex Gilady, president of Israeli media company Keshet Broadcasting, is stepping aside amid charges of sexual assault and rape leveled against him in recent days.

“I’m temporarily stepping aside from my position at Keshet until my innocence is proved.” said Gilady said in a statement first reported by Haaretz Wednesday. “I will fight to prove my innocence against these unsubstantiated claims. I reiterate that the allegations are false and I will take the necessary legal steps against these false accusations.”

“The testimonies by reporters about alleged improper behavior attributed to Alex Gilady are saddening and very painful. Regardless of the details of the cases themselves, the circumstances and the passage of time, I wish to offer support to anyone who feels hurt or humiliated as a result of improper and unacceptable conduct,” said Drorit Wertheim, Keshet’s Chairwoman. “For anyone who has been a victim of sexual harassment, whether in deed or words, time offers no solace. Together with Keshet’s management I continue to be whole-heartedly committed to ensuring that we provide a secure and protected work environment to anyone who works with us”.

“Effective today, following Alex’s announcement, he will no longer serve as President of Keshet,” Wertheim added.

Three women have now come forward to accuse Gilady of rape in the 1970s and 1990s. Gilady has previously worked as an executive at NBC Sports and also sits on the International Olympic Committee.

Representatives for Keshet did not immediately respond to TheWrap’s request for comment.

The Haaretz reports describes the accounts in graphic detail.

One told Haaretz that Gilady raped her when he was her boss on a television project in the late ’70s. He had asked her to pick up some material from his house, she said, and they drove there together. But as soon as they entered, she related, he attacked her.

“He threw me on the sofa, removed my underwear and simply penetrated [me],” she alleged. “That’s it. Wham, bang, he penetrated and withdrew.” He then drove her back to the office. Today, she said, “I want to die when I think of it.”
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