An adviser to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu resigned on Wednesday following allegations of sexual assault.
David Keyes, Netanyahu's foreign media adviser, stepped down nearly three months after taking a leave of absence after he was accused of sexual misconduct by at least a dozen women.
Keyes issued a statement saying he had "decided to pursue new opportunities in the private sector."
"I thank the Israel Civil Service Commission for closing its investigation against me and stating that 'there is no evidence or even a shred of evidence' of wrongdoing as an employee of the government," he said.
"Having been deeply inspired by how Israeli innovation is improving the lives of people around the world, I have decided to pursue new opportunities in the private sector," he added. "I thank Prime Minister Netanyahu for giving me the great honor of serving him and the State of Israel."
Keyes has denied the assault accusations, saying all were "deeply misleading and many of them are categorically false."
The Civil Service Commission closed an investigation into the allegations last month without taking any disciplinary action against Keyes, finding no evidence of wrongdoing during his time on the job. It noted that most of the alleged offenses had taken place before Keyes joined the Prime Minister's Office.
Netanyahu thanked Keyes in a statement for his "great contribution to Israel's information effort" and said he wished him "much success on his future course."
Julia Salazar, a former candidate for the New York Senate accused Keyes in September of sexually assaulting her five years ago. Others have since come forward. Wall Street Journal reporter Shayndi Raice tweeted she too had a "terrible encounter" with Keyes. She described someone who had "absolutely no conception of the word 'no.'"
The New York Times reported that The Wall Street Journal's then-opinion editor Bret Stephens had barred Keyes from entering the office in 2013 after he reportedly repeatedly propositioned female members of his staff.
According to the report, Stephens reprimanded Keyes for his behavior, calling him a "disgrace to men" and "a disgrace as a Jew."
Stephens said he contacted Israel's Ambassador to the U.S. Ron Dermer in November 2016 to warn him about the risk Keyes posed to female government employees after an Israeli reporter inquired about him.
