Natan Eshel, the prime ministers bureau chief, on Tuesday denied allegations that he had harassed a female staffer at the Prime Ministers Office, who has only been identified as R. Eshel was questioned under caution for nine hours by Civil Service Commission investigators. Everything will be fine, Eshel said before his questioning, which got under way at 9 a.m. Tuesday morning and was expected to continue on Wednesday. The affair erupted last month when three senior officials in the Prime Ministers Office, Yoaz Hendel, who heads the National Information Directorate, Cabinet Secretary Zvi Hauser and Military Secretary Yohanan Locker, approached the attorney-general with suspicions of wrongdoing, after the alleged victim, R., confided in one of them. She has thus far refused to offer testimony in the case or file a complaint against Eshel. Eshel is accused of invading R.s privacy by reading text messages on her cell phone and her emails. According to one testimony, Eshel also allegedly took immodest photos of R. On Jan. 29, Attorney-General Yehuda Weinstein said he would not ask the police to launch a criminal investigation into the allegations. Instead, the case is being investigated by the Civil Service Commission, which has gathered testimony from more than a dozen individuals, some of whom support the allegations against Eshel and others that deny any wrongdoing on his part. Eshel could face disciplinary measures. Weinsteins decision was made following a meeting with top echelon in the State Prosecutors Office. During that meeting, State Prosecutor Moshe Lador, Deputy Attorney-General Raz Nizri and Deputy State Prosecutor Shai Nitzan reviewed the Civil Service Commissions interim report on the investigation. After the meeting, Weinstein instructed the Civil Service Commissions chief investigator Nati Levitt to continue questioning those linked to the affair. The implication of this decision is that the victim, R., will have to face investigators despite her adamant refusal to testify. During the questioning, Eshel apparently answered all of the investigators questions, and provided details about his relationship with R. There was a close fatherly connection everything else is a misguided interpretation, he said. Levitt is expected to update the attorney-general upon completing his investigation, after which Weinstein will consult with prosecutors, including Lador, to decide how to proceed with the case. They will decide whether there is enough evidence to take disciplinary action against Eshel, even without R.s testimony, or to close the case.
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Netanyahus bureau chief denies sexual harassment allegations
Investigators question PMO Bureau Chief Natan Eshel for nine hours on sexual harassment allegations • Alleged victim refuses to offer testimony or submit complaint • Prosecutors to decide if enough evidence exists for disciplinary action.