The Israeli Knesset (parliament) House Committee on Thursday approved President Moshe Katsav's request for a three-month temporary suspension, local media reported.

The decision came two days after Attorney General Menachem Mazuz decided to charge Katsav with sexual crimes, including rape.

After long deliberation, 13 out of 25 committee members voted for the suspension and 11 against, the report said. Knesset Speaker Dalia Itzik will serve as acting president fort he duration of the suspension, the first woman to hold the post in Israel's history.

Meanwhile, Chairman of the committee Ruhama Avraham called on the president, on behalf of committee members, to resign.

The committee will convene again at the beginning of next week to discuss procedures to remove the president from office, as requested by some 30 lawmakers.

The process of impeachment could last for weeks, Knesset legal advisor, Nurit Elstein, told the Ha'aretz daily.

At a press conference on Wednesday, Katsav refused to resign and denied the accusations against him, saying he knows the truth and "the evidence is on my side."

Editor: Yan