Charges dropped against Israeli singer Eyal Golan

JERUSALEM (JTA) — The case against Israeli singer Eyal Golan for allegedly having sex with minors was closed due to a lack of evidence.

The  Tel Aviv District Attorney’s Office made the announcement on Wednesday.

The day before, Golan, 42, released a public letter asserting his innocence and claiming that the case stemmed from his attempts to renew his relationship with his father, something he called “poor judgment” and “a mistake.”

Golan’s father, Danny Biton, is accused of procuring the underage girls for his son and himself. They were arrested and put under house arrest for five days in November amid the allegations.

“I’m aware the public is angry and confused,” Golan, a popular Mizrachi singer, said in his public letter. “I feel as if I’m being hanged in the town square on a huge rope and everyone that passes by throws a brick at me.”

He added, “I wish to clarify that I never committed any act that would dishonor any woman or man in the State of Israel.”

Golan was forced to take a leave of absence from working as a judge on the popular reality show “Rising Star” on Israel’s Channel 2, which completed its first season without him.

A Jewish community center in San Diego canceled a concert by Golan one week before the performance over protests by members of the Jewish community who found it inappropriate because of the investigation.