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TEL AVIV: An Israeli court found former President Moshe Katsav guilty of rape and other sexual offenses on Thursday, convictions of unprecedented gravity for a head of the Jewish state.

"Katsav's testimony was riddled with lies," the three-judge panel said in its ruling. "When a woman says no, she means no."

Katsav, president from 2000 to 2007, had denied the charges of rape, molestation or harassment lodged by three ex-aides. He may now try to contest the Tel Aviv District Court's verdict, and what could be a lengthy jail sentence, in the Supreme Court.

Though the scandal had forced Katsav's early retirement in disgrace, it had no impact on Israeli government functions, as the presidency is largely ceremonial.

But the allegations against the Iranian-born leader, whose rise from the slums once served as a shining example for disadvantaged Jewish immigrants from the Middle East and North Africa, stirred deep emotions in Israel, where the head of state is supposed to be a beacon of morality and national unity.

Indeed, Katsav had cast himself as the victim of extortion and an ethnically motivated "witch-hunt", and had vowed to clear his name.

Katsav immigrated with his family to Israel in 1951. At age 24 he became the country's youngest mayor and went on to hold a number of cabinet posts as a member of the rightist Likud party.

Parliament elected him president in 2000 in an upset victory over Shimon Peres, Israel's Nobel Peace Prize-winning elder statesman. Peres later succeeded Katsav as president.

Katsav's prosecution was welcomed by women's groups that have long complained that Israeli authorities shrug off sexual harassment in workplaces.

Out of concern for the complainants' privacy, much of the trial had taken place behind closed doors. Some commentators predicted that Katsav, should he appeal, will argue that the Tel Aviv District Court proceedings had not been transparent enough.

"It's not pleasant to see a former president tried for serious crimes like this," said Moshe Negbi, legal analyst for Israel Radio. "But on the other hand, I think every citizen should be proud that we live in a country where the 'No. 1' citizen is subject to the law."

The rape conviction carries a maximum prison sentence of 16 years, Negbi told Reuters. Any sentences handed down for lesser charges would likely be served concurrently, he said.