At the end of a particularly dramatic 24 hours, even for Israel’s volatile political scene, Zionist Camp leader Isaac Herzog was forced to suspend negotiations for joining Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government. Meanwhile, Yisrael Beitenu head Avigdor Liberman has been trying on the Defense Ministry for size. The entire Middle East is on standby. No, it hasn’t happened yet, but chances are that Liberman will end up with his hand on the rudder of Israel’s defense system — the same Liberman who threatened to blow up Tehran and the Aswan Dam in 2001.

Netanyahu summoned him for an urgent meeting immediately after Liberman concluded his May 18 press conference. Likud officials claim that the deal with Liberman could be wrapped up in a matter of hours. Now we wait to hear what the present Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon has to say.

It all began on the afternoon of May 17. Very rarely does a hidden reality of moves that take place far from the eyes of the public and the media come into focus. Such a moment came in a speech by Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, when he addressed the Israel-Palestinian conflict. Sisi surprised everyone when he called on “Israeli parties” to come to a national agreement regarding an arrangement with the Palestinians.

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