Netanyahu’s adviser accused of sexual assault resigns

JERUSALEM – An adviser to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu resigned on Wednesday following allegations of sexual assault.

David Keyes, Netanyahu’s spokesman with the foreign press, stepped down nearly three months after taking a leave of absence after he was accused of sexual misconduct by at least a dozen women.

Keyes issued a statement saying he had “decided to pursue new opportunities in the private sector.”

Keyes has denied the assault accusations, saying all were “deeply misleading and many of them are categorically false.”

Israel’s Civil Service Commission closed an investigation into the allegations last month without taking any disciplinary action against Keyes, finding no evidence of wrongdoing while on the job. It noted that most of the alleged offences had taken place before Keyes joined the prime minister’s office.

Netanyahu thanked Keyes in a statement “for his great contribution to Israel’s information effort.”