JERUSALEM — Israel’s president will announce plans today to resign so that he can defend himself against charges of rape and sexual assault.

Moshe Katsav, 61, has decided to waive presidential immunity. His decision to resign reflects the gravity of the charges — rape carries a jail sentence of up to 16 years — and the perception that clinging to office could damage the standing of the presidency.

While Mr. Katsav continues to deny any wrongdoing, he faced a chorus of calls to leave office from members of parliament following yesterday ‘s recommendation from Israel’s attorney general that he be formally charged.

It is alleged that Mr. Katsav, a married man, acted as a sexual predator during years of public service, raping a female employee when he was serving as tourism minister and sexually assaulting another female staff member during his presidency.

When under suspicion, he allegedly abused his position by tapping staff members’ phone calls to try to catch people tipping off the authorities about his behavior. He also allegedly threatened witnesses.

Because of the sensitivity of the accusations, Mr. Katsav will not be formally charged until an internal justice ministry hearing at which he will be given the chance to persuade the attorney general to drop the charges.

That hearing is not expected to take place for several months. But one of Mr. Katsav’s legal advisers, Tziyon Amir, said the president would resign beforehand to save any damage to the office of the Israeli head of state.