Police spokesperson chief clashes with senior officer over sexual harassment allegations

A heated confrontation took place between Police spokesperson chief Brig. Gen. Lior Abudraham and a senior female officer who accuses him of sexual harassment. The confrontation was held at the officer’s request, amid the investigation into associates of National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, and the published excerpts were aired Tuesday on Channel 12’s Main Edition.

During the meeting, the officer broke down in tears and told Abudraham, “You said blatantly sexual and crude things to me.” Abudraham denied the accusation, saying, “Everything was mutual. This was not harassment.” According to the published transcript, he also said she never told him “no” or “stop,” while she insisted she repeatedly said, “Lior, enough.”

The officer said she gathered the courage to speak out and told him, “You should be ashamed of yourself, a senior police officer, for everything you put me through.” She added, “If you behave like this toward me, you surely behaved like this toward others too.” Abudraham responded by calling her a liar and said, “Because of that, nobody can stand you.” He maintained that nothing he said amounted to sexual harassment.

At the end of the confrontation, both were released to their homes and barred from contacting one another. The officer also turned to the investigators, saying, “How did we get to a situation where, from a woman who filed a sexual harassment complaint, I became a suspect under warning?” Her friend, whom she mentioned during the exchange, has been summoned to give testimony. The investigation is ongoing.