Israel's attorney general has said that President Moshe Katsav must step aside pending the resolution of rape allegations against him.
In a legal opinion delivered to the counrty's Supreme Court, Attorney General Meni Mazuz recommended that Katsav step aside until the allegations are resolved.
However, the government does not have the power to remove Katsav from his mostly ceremonial position.
Following an investigation into complaints by women who worked for Katsav, 60, police recommended two weeks ago that the president be indicted on charges including rape and aggravated sexual assault.
They also recommended he be charged with fraud, malfeasance and illegal wiretapping, and he is still being investigated on suspicions of disrupting a police investigation and harassing a witness.
Katsav has denied the allegations and said he was the victim of a conspiracy. The president's office declined to comment Sunday on Mazuz's recommendation.
A president should temporarily step aside in any situation in which a criminal investigation is pending, Mazuz said.
"Of course, the more serious the allegations and the farther along in the process, the obligation increases for the president to take the step of temporarily suspending his term," he said.
Israel's parliament, which is the only body with the authority to suspend the president, should consider doing so if Katsav refuses to voluntarily remove himself, Mazuz wrote in his legal opinion. The president's refusal to step aside has complicated the investigation since some of the witnesses work for him, Mazuz wrote.
Mazuz has the final say about whether to indict Katsav, but the attorney general said Sunday that he will not make such a decision for several more weeks.