Israel’s High Court of Justice upheld the controversial appointment of vice prime minister Haim Ramon.
Feminist groups petitioned the High Court in protest of Ramon’s appointment earlier this year, noting that he had been convicted of indecent acts after forcing a kiss on a female soldier during the 2006 Lebanon war. Ramon was justice minister at the time and resigned.
The High Court ruled against the petitioners Thursday, saying there were insufficient grounds to disqualify Ramon as Prime Minister Ehud Olmert’s top deputy. But the court said its non-intervention should not be construed as approval of the appointment.
Ramon was sentenced to community service for his crime, but the verdict was not serious enough to bar him from returning to politics.
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