"I did not find Haim Ramon attractive. I can't even think of him in that way," What a verschlugenah!

Yes, he went to far. He should have (perhaps he did) asked for pardon. He has lost his job. What else do you want to see him paying. Blood? Money?

He can't help it, and I hope his momma doesn't read this, but if I had to kiss him, I'd be major pissed, if a prince didn't materialize real fast.

His pathetic behavior goes back a long time. Now get yourself a good lawyer and sue the pants off of him. Let him pay like a tatele. Only then will he be so low that his current bimbet will leave him. I hope he knows how to work a walker...I can just see him now moping about the moshav zekainim wanting to pinch the nurses. Better tell him to behave or they wont clean his bed pan........

Did anyone ever teach her what proper behavior should be like when in the company of the Minister of Justice? Then again, why didn't Ramon stop and explain to her that this was no way to behave. There is something wrong with our education.

in the showers from behind. Don't drop your soap,Haim!

The days are long gone of the "innocent, inexperienced, hard to get" Israeli girl. It not so hard to imagine that he thought she was consentual. Never flirted? Impossible to prove.

certainly wouldnt like to feel his tongue in my mouth!!!!! Yuk, yuk, yuk - where's the disinfectant???? Just the thought of it makes me squirm!!!!!!!!!!!

This should not even make the press. I can't believe that she's traumatized because of a kiss. And I have my doubts about her innocence too. At a time when really traumatic events are happening to people in Israel, such as the constant attacks to Sderot residents, the terror attack in Eilat, etc., are we are supposed to feel sorry for her ????

Ramon is an idiot, Katsav is an idiot, but there are women who play on such guys' primitive side - to get something: a job, a photo, and now also: the support of the whole feminist crowd.

This will deter any man from flirting around.

Cuddle and hug your daughters. So they don't run and look for father figures and hug and cuddle them instead. This little madam couldn't hold 'daddy dearest' any tighter, just look at the photo! Powerful father figures in high places, are such daddy substitutes. Dangerous for little girls who talk like babies ( did you HEAR her?) and he should have realized what her problem was. Instead he was flattered. Men are SO stupid.

Many have commented that it was "just a kiss". It might have been a minor incident (even though if a man sticks his tongue forcefully into a young woman's mouth and gets away with it who knows what he will try to stick forcefully into this or some other woman next?!), but the problem is this: If one has a minor dispute (but still strictly speaking broke the law, as you will agree that sticking one's tongue forcefully into someone else's mouth is), one has a few options: Try to reach an out-of-court settlement with the complaintant, perhaps throw a few shekels at her to ensure closure which leaves everyone happy. Another option is to go to court and emphasize that it was just a minor incident and apologize for getting carried away in the moment and hope for the judges' mercy. What one shouldn't do is spread deliberate lies about the accuser to throw mud on her name and then go to court and lie to the judges. This should only prove to be a disservice to oneself, as (I'm glad) happened here. When you think about it, the fact that the man was the Justice minister - in charge of the intergrity of the legal system - at the time, doesn't make things look much better for him.

She is a big girl, a soldier, not some innocent child. Girls like her can take care of themselves. Women can sense when a man is being fatherly and when he's not. Roger, I have absolutely no sympathy for her, much as I try. And I stand by my opinion that way too much is being made of this incident. Were Ramon a shopkeeper, she would have forgotten about it within an hour. Had he been her boss, she should have known better than getting too cozy with him. That's unprofessional. This is political, in any way you look at it. Israel has much more serious problems to deal with than somebody's indiscretion, Minister of Justice or not. Much worse for the country are the consequences of decisions taken by other ministers, including the PM. From defense failings to the suffering of expellees, to threats across the borders. In other words, the future of the country.

Not much is being said about the treatment of women within the Muslim community. Now, that's something that should really concern everyone.

every day in israeli offices women actually are sexually harrased afraid of complaining for not loosing their job , nobody pays attention to them. Our courts and ramons political enemies are dealing with obvious strange stories. In comparison to kazav, ramons scandal seems ridiculous. Also in comparison to our daily stories in the news, of women lacking executice support of police and courts, being raped, molested or killed, the story seems blown up.

Of course she doesn't! Why is this all over the media? One titillating comment and that is all you hear. Enough already. Let these young women alone. Does any women who is raped or otherwise sexually molested have to account as to her interest in the attacker as a sex partner? Of course not.

When will girls learn how to live in the real world. When my boss of 10 years (who was my father's age) grabbed my backside when I was turned away from him, I slapped his hand away and showed anger to his face. He didn't try again and I continued to work for him another 8 years. Men will take advantage ONLY if you let them. You have to show them that you are not to be trespassed against.

WHY DID NOT YOUR PAPER MADE THE HEADLINE ON THIS MATTER. IS RAMON SFARADI OR ASHKENAZI ?????? YOUR PAPER STANDS TALL IN THIS KIND OF SUBJECTS.....

The little girl didn't find him attractive. No baby finds daddy 'attractive' in that sense. So clear, the whole scenario. Teddy bear hugs from daddy, doesn't require an 'attractive' daddy.

Doesn't make him a bad guy.So what he steals kisses slap him on the wrist.The bad part is that he is probably good at his job.

Compliant you have rubbished this OCTOPUS, but may not be lucky the next time.

Bill Clinton had an affair with Monica Lewinsky which had been fully CONSENTUAL, but he still got into a lot of strife, including an impeachment trial - only the second in the history of the USA. And why? This had nothing to do with the affair itself as with the fact that he tried to deceive the Law in relation to this affair. No one thought that the President of the United States was an unimportant position, or that America did not have a great deal of other important issues, - only that a President cannot be seen as obstructing justice. If Clinton was - to use your example - a shopkeeper he may not have had to stand a trial to determine whether he should be fired but a President is not a shopkeeper. Neither is a Minister of Justice.

Clinton was another womanizer but it was not his sins that got him into trouble but a conspiracy from the right. (And I'm not a Leftie by any means.) The whole thing started with allegations about some financial issues at the law firm where Hilary used to work. It all came down to nothing, but they persisted. They dug out every little sin in his past, used Paula Jones and turned her into his accuser, and harassed the guy relentlessly throughout his presidency. How can a man be expected to run a country under such stress! It was vicious. It was a plot that had started even before he became president, when he was still governor. The guy had stubborn enemies. I agree that if the person accused is in government, anything is more serious. I also expect the best from elected officials. What I'm referring to is the motivation of those who bring up those charges. And that motivation is political. One needs to keep that in mind. My point, Roger, is that these titillating events distract the populace from what's really being done to them by political leaders and financial interests. Also, should the guy go to jail for that? Do you know how much real crime goes unpunished in Israel? The country has huge problems right now. Really serious internal problems. And there is the threat that Israel could in the near future be nuked out of existence. But here you have the media discussing a kiss between two adults.

even if allowing that the girl was in some ways not totally innocent, which by the way is a huge if. You claim that the girl of 20 knew perfectly well what she was doing, so why don't you expect accountability from @60-year- old Justice Minister. Don't you require even minimum of moral standards from your leaders?

within the Muslim community, since they keep saying that they actually love wearing that burkha and prefer their children to become martyrs. Call it racist or Liberal, but by now my expectation regarding Muslim behavior is not very high; I simply don't expect any better from them. Now Israel is a modern country and I expect more. Her Presidents, Justice Ministers or anybody other powerful male should know better than treat young Israeli girls, soldiers no less, as an easy lay. It has nothing to do with prudishness but with respect for both, young women and for the uniform. It is very unfortunate that both the President and the Justice Minister both stand accused, one actually convicted, of sexual assault. And no, being led on doesn't wash here -- both men are mature adults, and by know should have developed some moral norms and know how to say NO.

you see? You say you expect more from Israel. Like you, the world applies higher standards to Israel than any other country in the world. That's why the papers are always so full of articles and editorials critical of Israel, and this has the effect of demonizing this tiny country besieged by so many enemies. People growing up reading nothing but negative things about Israel are bound to develop a negative attitude and feel justified in their relentless criticism of Israel. If the human rights organizations, the UN, the feminists, etc., etc., spent a fraction - literally a fraction - of their energies to fight injustice in places other than Jewish Israel, the world would be a much better place. Regarding men behavior toward women, most men - I don't mean extreme perverts - but most men will respect a woman who respects herself. In #26 I said that I expected more from elected officials, so yes, Ramon should have known better. But hugging and flirting is not professional behavior from a soldier with an older man in a position of power. It sends the wrong signals. And I repeat my belief that this media attention is totally disproportionate considering the very real threats that Israel is suffering from daily. There is something very unhealthy about focusing so much on a kiss and not enough on Israel's survival and the rule of law in the country. There are much more important things that should concern us as human beings and Jews and that are happening in Israel right now. People are actually suffering. Farmers are losing their livelihoods because the police does not want to prosecute thieves. Vandals are attacking Jewish sites. Sderot residents are living in terror. Gush Katif refugees are suffering from poverty, sickness, mental illness due to government neglect. There is poverty in the country. And I could go on and on. Why aren't the perpetrators of terror and lawlessness of more concern to the media than an old man who gave a provocative girl a kiss?

You may not be a Leftie but you certainly sound like one: The catch-all Leftie phrase when they run out of sensible arguments is "conspiracy": There is always supposedly some mysterious conspiracy (which they never seem to be able to prove): Be it from Clinton's "stubborn enemies" (- wasn't his most "stubborn enemy" his own immorality?) ; Or, in Ramon's case, some political conspiracy to bring him down (wouldn't his downfall have anthing to do, by any chance, with the fact that he broke the law and instead of apologizing respectfully to his victim and judges he arrogantly tried to fool a court with his lies - a criminal offense by itself, that). Please, no conspiratorial talk anymore: It would have been a political conspiracy if a politician who was caught breaking the law would have been aquitted. Him being convicted - that's justice. ... Oh, and one more thing about Israel's other problems: the day this happened was apparently the day the Government decided what to do about Hizbullah's kidnapping of two soldiers: Doesn't it look a bit like Ramon himself thinks that him sneaking his tongue into some female soldier's mouth is more importance than the lives of other Israeli soldiers?