As the clock inched toward 10 a.m. on Feb. 21, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made his feelings known via Facebook after almost half a day of silence. His previous post, from the day before, had featured a video clip filmed shortly before another political and media bombshell exploded: Shlomo Filber — Netanyahu’s close aide and confidant and suspended director-general of the Communications Ministry — was about to turn state’s witness against his former boss. The clip had been hurriedly prepared by Netanyahu at the end of a long day of ups and downs involving his close associates under interrogation. In the video, Netanyahu repeats his claim that he and his family are the victims of persecution. He looked broken and exhausted.
Netanyahu had sought legal advice into the wee hours in assessing the damage that Filber had inflicted on him. Meanwhile, Likud ministers remained shrouded in silence. They evaded interviews and avoided all mention of the ongoing investigative earthquake. They were beginning, however, to assess their situation among themselves. When all was said and done, and considering the dizzying pace of events, the possibility of early elections began to seem a logical conclusion. The big question loomed: Had Netanyahu reached his breaking point after more than a year of serious allegations of bribery? When would the moment come for Netanyahu to announce his departure, as former Prime Minister Ehud Olmert had done in his time?
