Former Israeli President jailed for rape

Katsav, 65, was charged with twice raping an aide when he was a cabinet minister in the late 1990s.

And he was also accused of molesting or sexually harassing two other women who worked for him during his time as president between 2000 and 2007.

He denied the charges - but a three-judge panel found him guilty in December and said his testimony had been "riddled with lies".

They said: "When a woman says no, she means no."

The former president was also convicted of obstructing justice, for trying to talk to one complainant about her evidence to police.

Katsav has claimed he was the victim of extortion and an ethnically-motivated "witch hunt".

The case has brought shame to Israel's highest office.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu described his conviction as "a sad day for Israel and its residents".

And he said the verdict showed that "all are equal before the law".

It was called an "earthquake" by one Israeli newspaper and welcomed by women's groups that have long complained of lenient attitudes to sexual harassment in the workplace.