He is innocent, convicted with deliberate political malice in a kangaroo court. Woe to Israel when "shifcha ola al gvirta" applies.

He was accused by more than one woman of sexually abusing them and taking advantage of his position. He is DEFINITELY NOT INNOCENT. This corrupt individual does not deserve to be pardoned.

When sentencing the Ashkenazi Olmert, the court said they had to take in account his years of public service and public suffering he endured as mitigating factors to give him a ridiculously low (non-existent) sentence. When sentencing the Mizrahi Katzav, the court explicitly rejected his years of public service and suffering he endured as mitigating factors so that they could give him an unusually harsh sentence. As they say, who needs protectsia when you have friends?

Katsav agrees to have his membership cut off.

articles and talkbacks in the Hebrew press, print and internet alike, and you'll notice that not a single person in Israel would bow to this criminal's request, and rightly so.

Katzav was accused by more than one woman, but there was no evidence of rape. I repeat, there was NO evidence of rape. For the second time in history of Israel, a person was convicted of a serious crime and jailed when there was NO EVIDENCE, but just because a judge decided to jail them.

On condition he becomes a candidate in a political party with Derri and Olmert. Call it Mifleget ha Poshim.....

Katsav committed an extremely heinous crime --- much moreso than the political corruption we read so much about. To pardon him will send a horrible message to the victims of rape.

It always stuns me when men rally around a rapist. It makes me wonder what they're hiding in their own past. Did you go too far once? Twice? The court, it seems, went very far to stridently protect its image by avoiding favoritism in the Katsav trial. The law that the prisoner Katsav broke was clear: persons in a position of authority who coerce subordinates into sexual relationships are violating the law. It was found that Katsav repeatedly violated this law and used his positions to coerce women into having sex with him. He's a loser, admit it. Stop believing in the Rapist Katsav

I hope he rots in jail where he belongs

I suspect you are a secular so this may not influence your opinion, but for the record, Torah says every accusation must be established in the mouth of two or three witnesses. I believe that burden of proof was met with the many women who came forward. Now if it should turn out that all these women were liars (which I doubt) Then they have a much higher court to answer to.

Give him a pardon and next thing you know he will be forming his own political party just like Olmert wants to do. Maybe he can team up with Olmert, Anat Kamm and Uri Blau at the next election form the rogues gallery party.