MK Touma-Sliman Demands TV Network President’s Dismissal over Allegations of Sexual Assault

In the wake of a series of sexual assault and harassment accusations made against him, the president of the Keshet Media Group, Alex Gilady, announced on Wednesday morning, November 8, that he would being taking a “temporary leave of absence” from his position. Gilady co-founded Keshet and served as its CEO for three years.

In the most serious allegation against Gilady publicized to date, on Tuesday night’s Channel 10 News a woman, identified only as a former journalist, accused him of rape. The anonymous accuser claimed that about 20 years ago, when she was applying to host a new Keshet TV program, Gilady took her to his home where he assaulted her. A week earlier, Channel 10 anchor Oshrat Kotler said that around two decades ago Gilady made an “indecent proposal” towards her when she was applying for a job.

MK Touma-Sliman (left) during a meeting of the Knesset Committee for the Advancement of the Status of Women

MK Touma-Sliman (left) during a meeting of the Knesset Committee for the Advancement of the Status of Women (Photo: Knesset)

On Sunday, Haaretz reporter Neri Livneh said she was called to a work meeting with Gilady in the late 1990s. He suggested she accompany him home, she said, where he changed into a robe, exposed his genitals to her and instructed Livneh to “talk to it.” Gilady did not dispute Livneh’s accounts of the evening but said that it was in no way work-related. “What adults do in their lives, in their private homes in the context of personal relationships, is a private matter,” he claimed.

Gilady has been a member of the International Olympic Committee since 1994, when he was working for NBC Sports. He is the only Israeli member of the committee and was recently chosen to be a delegate to the Paris 2024 coordination commission.

On Tuesday evening, Joint List MK Aida Touma-Sliman (Hadash), chairwoman of the Knesset Committee for the Advancement of the Status of Women, called on Keshet to support women making claims against Gilady and called for him to be dismissed from his position over the allegations.

In a letter to Keshet Touma-Sliman wrote: “The time has come to transform words into deeds and immediately announce the end of his official duties, including the termination of his position as president of the company. Keshet must take a clear and unequivocal stand and send a sharp message to other employees that the company has zero tolerance for harassers.”