Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Photo by Daniel Bar-On Text
size  The Natan Eshel affair ended Sunday with an agreement that
led to the resignation of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's
bureau chief, who was accused of sexually harassing an employee
identified only as R., and his admission of inappropriate
conduct. Netanyahu was sad to see Eshel go, and praised him
warmly. But the prime minister conspicuously refrained from
praising the three senior members of his bureau who reported the
alleged transgressions, sparking a disciplinary inquiry into
Eshel's conduct.  Netanyahu's response to the affair has
revealed the values he is guided by - and loyalty to the boss
tops the list. It's not clear what the "important contribution"
that Netanyahu said Eshel made to the government actually was,
but it is clear that he was the go-to person for Benjamin and
Sara Netanyahu and carried out sensitive political assignments
on their behalf.  From Netanyahu's perspective, Eshel's loyalty
compensates for his inappropria