“Kadima entered Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu’s government at 2 a.m. on May 8, and when its 28 MKs left on Tuesday, the party’s leaders readily admitted that they had departed without making any impact whatsoever on Israel’s future.

The coalition had 66 MKs before, and it has 66 MKs again. The government was dealing with tough issues then, and those issues have not gone away.

What has gone away is the September 4 general election that would have been initiated early on May 8, had Kadima not joined the coalition. Now that election will be held some time in 2013, depending on Netanyahu’s ability to pass a new state budget.

It is possible that some of the Likud’s voters have also gone away. Netanyahu might have upset them by not making more compromises that would have enabled drafting more haredi yeshiva students to military or national service.

But how many of those voters will put equalizing the burden of IDF service at the top of the list of their priorities if the election is held in the spring of 2013? Between now and then, Iran could be attacked, or its nuclearization could be averted through non-military means.

The Palestinians could have a new leader. The US could have a new leader. A lot will inevitably change.”

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