JERUSALEM (JTA) — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s bureau chief resigned over a sexual harassment scandal.
Natan Eshel under a plea agreement signed Sunday resigned from his position and committed to never again working in civil service.
Eshel admitted to unprofessional behavior with a female subordinate. The woman, known only as R, has refused to press charges or testify against Eshel.
Netanyahu in a statement thanked Eshel for "his dedicated and good work over the years as head of the Prime Minister’s Bureau, and commend(ed) him for his important contribution to the successful work of the government."
Some 16 co-workers testified to the Civil Service Commission that Eshel had an inappropriate relationship with R. He is accused of stalking R, reading her e-mails and taking inappropriate photos of her.
Eshel said in a statement that the plea bargain "lifts the cloud of indecent acts and/or pictures and sexual harassment off of my life once and for all, and puts an end to the devil’s dance around me."
Bureau director Gil Sheffer was named to replace Eshel.
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