Broshi threatens Gabbay: 'Apology or legal actions'
MK Eitan Broshi sends letter to Gabbay demanding that he apologize and retracts his suspension following Broshi's alleged sexual harassment of a woman 15 years ago.
MK Eitan Broshi demands an apology from Labor Party chairman Avi Gabbay— who suspended him on Sunday following the publication of Broshi's alleged sexual harassment of a woman 15 years ago— to be published via Twitter, and a complete renunciation of his suspension notice until 9:00pm Monday. If Gabbay does not comply with these demands, Broshi intends on taking legal action against him.
In a letter sent by Broshi through his attorney Ilan Bumbach, the lawyer slammed the Labor Party chairman for suspending his client: "My client wishes to emphasize his personal disappointment with you," the letter read.
"As a person who abides by the law and respects the rule of law (for which you have won my client's favor), it was surprising to see you running to the media and social networks to smear my client's name, before you were able to act accordingly with authority, patience and moderation," Bumbach stated.
"You may have received a bad advice from a friend, but what you did to my client was a very serious act, in which you decided to serve as judge, jury and executioner. Who are you to call my client a 'sex offender'? The suspension was made without any authority because according to article 91 of the constitution, the suspension is only valid if one of the grounds specified in section 73 applies," the letter explained.
Ynet recently revealed that MK Eitan Broshi touched MK Ayelet Nahmias-Verbin's behind during a party's field trip.
"I spoke with MK Broshi this evening and informed him of his immediate suspension from party activity, and demanded that he take responsibility for his shameful actions and resign from the Knesset. Sexual offenders do not have a place on the street or in the Knesset," Gabbay said Sunday.
in a Ynet studio interview on Monday morning ,Bumbach slammed Gabbay's behavior: "Gabbay actually suspended Broshi on the basis of an anonymous complaint, without any basis, without seeing the complainant herself, without checking the facts, without asking Broshi what happened. I've never seen anything like it," Bombach asserted.
Ynet: are you claiming that this complaint letter, whose writer remains anonymous, has no basis in reality?
Bombach: "Of course not, I met Broshi and asked him. He said that these things never happened…If he harassed this woman, why wait for 15 years? why didn't she go to the police?"
Bombach also claimed that this complaint has nothing to do with the Nahmias-Verbin incident. "he acted inappropriately and there is no dispute about that. Broshi apologized to Nahmias-Verbin and the two agreed to put the incident behind them. From what I gather, Avi Gabbay never met and never spoke with the new complainant; he sealed Brosh's fate based on what? Based on an anonymous complaint, that's all. It is simply unacceptable," he concluded.
MK Michal Biran, Zionist Union, joined the interview: "I do not want to end a man's career in a spear of the moment decision, I did not call for his resignation previously, I just said that what he did was inappropriate, and suddenly this thing came up. I agree with attorney Bombach that an anonymous complaint is not enough."
Gabbay and faction chairman Yoel Hasson said that Broshi is not allowed in the parliamentary arena.
However, in practice, Broshi's suspension is invalid. Neither Gabbay nor Hasson can fire him. Broshi himself made it very clear that he has no intention of resigning, and both Hasson and Gabbay cannot legally throw him out.
