Israel's papers call on President Moshe Katsav, who faces charges of sexual misconduct against female employees, to step down immediately.

The Israeli president enjoys immunity from prosecution as long as he remains in office, but several commentators feel that for Mr Katsav to remain in post while fighting the charges lowers the dignity of the presidency.

One commentator calls for the law on presidential immunity to be set aside, while another describes Mr Katsav as an "embarrassing hitch" in Israeli history.

Resignation... is what is needed now in order to salvage what is left of the institution of the presidency and to regain a sense of proportion in the affair.

The number one citizen turns to be the number one defendant... Someone has to explain to his Excellency the president that he should go home... This way he will perhaps be able to defend what remains of his good name.

Although the president can still claim innocence as long as his guilt is not confirmed in court, any other decision by him other than incapacity/suspension/immediate resignation will be no less than a blatant disregard for the institution of the presidency and for all of us.

There is a long-standing practice, backed by Supreme Court decisions, that requires cabinet members to resign if indicted. We believe the president should be held to a slightly higher standard and should resign now that a draft indictment has been submitted, particularly in the case of an indictment for such serious and extensive crimes.

There is no reason to wait until Katsav decides to suspend himself... The position, opinion and decision of he who is accused of rape are irrelevant.

Katsav will go down in the books as a footnote, an embarrassing hitch. As we get more and more used to the story of the president, it will slowly move from the front page to the crime page.