“Now recently in an interview with ABC News, former president Clinton was rather irate when he was asked if he ever apologized to you personally, and he said 'I apologized publicly.' Do you still expect that apology? That personal apology?” asked Levi.

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“I’m so sorry I’m not going to be able to do this,” said Lewinsky, before laying her microphone down and walking off the stage.

Later, Lewinsky, who became a household name in the late 1990s for an affair that nearly brought down Clinton's presidency, published a statement on Twitter saying that Levi had put that same question to her when they met ahead of the conference and that she had responded that it was off-limits.

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“When she asked me it on stage, with blatant disregard for our agreement, it became clear to me I had been misled,” Lewinsky wrote.

She said the parameters of what would be covered in the discussion were clear — it was to focus on the subject of her speech, which talked about the perils and positives of the Internet.

A spokesman for the Israeli Channel 2 News Company, which hosted the conference in Jerusalem, said Levi had kept all the agreements she made with Lewinsky and honored her requests.

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“We believe the question asked on stage was legitimate and respectful and one that certainly did not go beyond Ms. Lewinsky's requests and did not cross the line,” said news company spokesman Alon Shani.

Levi is one of Israel’s most prominent journalists, hosting the highest-rated prime-time daily news show on television. A journalist for many years, she has interviewed numerous world leaders, including President Barack Obama, and she is known for asking tough questions.

Israelis often identify themselves with the sabra, the cactus fruit that has a prickly exterior and a soft interior and pride themselves on their frankness and shameless audacity. In the case of Israel's rough-and-tumble journalism world, this trait can sometimes appear exaggerated.

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Though perhaps with this interview, it might have been worth Levi toning down the approach. Since the affair with Clinton nearly 20 years ago, Lewinsky has built a career speaking out against bullying, and many public figures have expressed remorse or regret at how she was treated two decades ago.