Former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has been accused by a former journalist of sexually assaulting her two decades ago.

Hadas Shtaif, a veteran crime reporter for Israel Army Radio, said Mr Olmert assaulted her in a television studio where they had both been giving interviews.

“Olmert pushed me against the wall, whispering and licking my ear,” she said at a lecture over the weekend.

Ms Shtaif, who has reported many cases of sexual assault by senior Israeli officials over the years, said she came forward to support younger women who have recently made public their experiences of sexual harassment by senior figures.

Mr Olmert, who was a senior Likud minister at the time the alleged incident took place, denies Ms Shtaif’s accusation.

After news of her allegation became public, Ms Shtaif reported that a former Knesset staffer contacted her with a report of being sexually harassed by Mr Olmert.

Shelly Yachimovich, another member of the Knesset, wrote on Facebook that ten years ago she was told by a former employee of Mr Olmert that he had harassed her some decades previously.

Mr Olmert, who was Israeli prime minister between 2006 and 2009, completed a one-and-a-half year prison sentence for bribery in July.

His friends have complained to the media that he no longer has the means to defend himself against the allegations.