Israeli President Moshe Katsav today asked parliament to temporarily remove him from office after Israel's attorney general recommended that he be indicted on rape and other charges.
Under Israeli law, a Knesset committee would have to approve any leave of absence, parliamentary spokesman Giora Pordes said.
Israeli President Moshe Katsav
Israel's justice minister today led the growing chorus of calls for Mr Katsav to resign over the impending charges.
Attorney-General Meni Mazuz notified the president yesterday that he planned to indict him, but would first give Mr Katsav, who has maintained silence since, an opportunity to plead his case before him. No sitting Israeli president has ever been charged with a crime.
Mr Katsav (61), has said he is innocent of assaulting the four women who have accused him. His lawyers hope to use the hearing before Mr Mazuz to persuade him to drop his plans to press charges.
While Mr Katsav is innocent until proven guilty, "he should not be waging the battle to prove his innocence from the president's office," Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who also serves as justice minister, said in a statement.
"Minister Livni is convinced that resignation would be the appropriate action at this time," the statement said.
Mr Katsav planned a news conference for this evening, and Israeli media, citing one of his lawyers, said he would propose a temporary leave of absence until Mr Mazuz made a final decision whether to indict.
But the Israeli public has grown accustomed to the spectacle of politicians being put on trial or tainted by corruption allegations. One former Cabinet minister is being tried in a separate sexual misconduct case, and corruption allegations have reached as high as Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, now under investigation for his involvement in the sale of a government-controlled bank.