The highest echelons of the Israel Police force were reeling on Thursday following allegations that the commander of the Jerusalem District Police sexually assaulted his female subordinate. Maj. Gen. Nisso Shaham may have to resign his position as district commander due to the allegations. After a gag order was lifted on Thursday, details of the case emerged and Shaham was reportedly questioned under caution over allegations of sexual harassment, indecent acts and illegal consensual sex with a female officer under his command. Israel Hayom has learned that Shaham is suspected of assaulting at least four female officers and that Shaham has confessed to having consensual sex. The case broke on Wednesday and caught Police Commissioner Yohanan Danino unaware at a conference at the Institute for National Security Studies in Tel Aviv. Shaham's subordinate, Brig. Gen. Nissim Edri of the Zion district police force, is said to have known of the alleged acts but failed to report them. Both Shaham and Edri were questioned on Wednesday, following which it was decided to order them to take temporary leave until the investigation is complete and the outcome publicized. Danino wants the investigation completed as quickly as possible. After meeting with top officers in the Jerusalem District headquarters, Danino said "I have complete trust in the district officers and commanders who perform their duties loyally." An intensive investigation was launched several weeks ago and officers from the Internal Investigation Unit managed to obtain testimonies from several female police officers along with other evidence related to the suspected crimes committed by Shaham and Edri. According to a spokesman from the unit, Shaham and Edri cooperated with investigators during questioning and were released under police restrictions and instructed not to contact anyone linked to the case. The two may be called in again for questioning in the coming days and may also be forced to face their accusers. Following the interrogations on Wednesday, Danino consulted with Internal Security Minister Yitzhak Aharonovitch and decided to place the two on a forced leave of absence. In light of the sensitive situation in Jerusalem during the holy month of Ramadan and due to the fact that a deputy commander of the Jerusalem District Police has not yet been appointed, Commander Meni Yitzhaki, who formerly served as deputy commander of the district, has been appointed interim district chief. Yitzhaki was appointed two weeks ago as commander of the national crime-fighting unit Lahav 433, which now has no commander. The case has caused great embarrassment not only among the top police brass but also among Justice Ministry officials. Shaham's wife, Brig. Gen. Varda Shaham, served until recently as the deputy head of the ministry's department of police internal investigations as well as deputy head of Police investigations department. She has also served as a prosecutor in the State Prosecutor's Office. Police and Justice Ministry officials attended the wedding of the Shahams' daughter just two weeks ago. Friends of Shaham say he denies the accusations against him, but Shaham's attorney, Boaz Ben-Tzur, refused to comment on the case. Edri's attorney, Zion Amir, said on Thursday "Commander Edri did not cover up anything. One of the alleged victims asked him not to report the incident. He acted properly. He cannot say anything more than that because the case is still under investigation and he doesn't want to obstruct it. He is cooperating and requested a week of vacation to enable the investigation to run its course. It is important to remember we are talking about a highly regarded and professional officer. The investigation must be thorough and swift to allow him to return to his routine work." Maj. Gen. (Ret.) Aryeh Amit, a former commander of the Jerusalem District Police and a friend of Shaham's, said on Thursday "I hope with all my heart that the case will be revealed to be one of false accusations. We are talking about a professional and skilled commander, a person to whom Jerusalem is very precious. If the suspicions turn out to be justified, I will be deeply disappointed."
