Rabat – Droro Matisyahu, the lawyer of Israel’s now recalled envoy to Morocco, David Govrin, has claimed that the chief security officer of the Israeli Liaison in Rabat, Ran Metzuyanim, made up the sexual misconduct accusations against him for personal revenge.
According to The Times of Israel, Matisyahu has addressed a letter to Israel’s Foreign Ministry Director General Alon Ushpiz, stating that “the baseless claims” against Govrin originated from “an official who was caught red-handed and is now acting out of hate and revenge in an attempt to harm the ambassador.”
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Metzuyanim, the letter claimed, has “contacted various media outlets and launched a libelous, demeaning and offensive smear campaign against the ambassador…and his partner to remove him from his job in unacceptable ways.”
Govrin filed a complaint against Metzuyanim in February, accusing him of using the Rabat Liaison Office’s security vehicles in violation of internal regulations. The top inspector at Israel’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs found the complaint justifiable, according to the letter.
Following the complaint, Govrin gave a low rating to Metzuyanim in April, arguing that he was unfit for the position of chief security officer and might cause “diplomatic damage” to his country, says the letter.
Chaos at Israel’s Foreign Ministry
Govrin’s lawyer argues that this personal feud between Govrin and Metzuyanim is the motive behind the “baseless claims” of sexual misconduct and “workplace irregularities” that were “apparently made by a fictitious woman.” The lawyer’s letter emphasized that Govrin has “no intention of dealing with a claim that has not been made to him, about an unknown issue.”
Despite Govrin’s denial of the sexual misconduct and office impropriety charges he now faces, senior officials at Israel’s Foreign Ministry have been reported by converging reports in the Israeli media as maintaining that his potential return to Rabat remains in doubt following the recent allegations. According to the Times of Israel, there is a general sense of chaos within the Israeli ministry with “everyone is at each other’s throats.”
Govrin was recalled earlier this month to Israel. The decision came after the Israeli Public Broadcasting Corporation (KAN) broke the news on September 6 that the head of the Rabat Liaison Office was facing allegations of workplace “irregularities” and sexual misconduct.
KAN added that Israel’s Foreign Ministry had received a serious complaint against Govrin, including incriminating testimony by sources who claimed the diplomat was involved in “dozens of stories” that confirmed his obsession with women.
With the case being under investigation, details on the allegations and potential sentencing of the Israeli diplomat remain subject to speculation.
