The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs recalled two employees of its diplomatic corps amid probes into criminal offenses, including the chargé d’affaires at Israel’s liaison office in Rabat, David Govrin, and an employee at the embassy in Abu Dhabi.
Sources said that the two events were a major diplomatic scandal and an embarrassment to the Ministry, especially the issue of the ambassador.
They explained that Govrin's behavior led to anger among Moroccans leading to a protest demanding the embassy's closure.
The sources confirmed that suspicions about the envoy are linked to the "exploitation of Moroccan female employees in the embassy for sexual purposes, harassment and disorderly conduct."
Kan radio station in Tel Aviv reported that the Moroccan Foreign Ministry complained and submitted a file concerning Govrin's behavior, and a delegation from the Foreign Ministry was rushed to Rabat to investigate.
During the investigation, officials found evidence of sexual misconduct, financial exploitations, embezzlement, and the disappearance of a valuable gift he received from the King of Morocco, which was not registered nor handed to the government.
Diplomatic sources in Tel Aviv confirmed that the delegation returned Govrin to Israel and is currently facing a criminal investigation with the police that will destroy his position as a high-ranking diplomat.
They noted that Israel is now facing a serious diplomatic issue with the Moroccan public and that social media activists are attacking Israel and demanding the closure of the Israeli embassy.
According to the head of the Israel-Morocco Friendship Association, Shimon Abu Sakila, Govrin's behavior was unsurprising to Israelis residing in Morocco, as they had warned about it over the past year.
Govrin, 59, served as Israel's envoy to Cairo before being appointed ambassador to Rabat last year.
The second diplomatic scandal relates to a senior employee at the Israeli embassy in the UAE.
The diplomat is accused of stealing a valuable $6,000 gift, which was given to the ambassador and replaced with a simple watch.
According to Israeli law, such gifts are handed over to the Ministry, and the diplomat who receives them is allowed to keep them in rare cases and with official permission from the attorney general and the political leadership.
After the scandal, the employee was recalled to Israel and dismissed from the diplomatic corps.
