The opening moments of the weekly meetings held by Knesset factions every Monday at noon are usually devoted to well-publicized statements by the parties’ leaders. It is an ideal platform for sending messages to the public, setting the political arena on fire, and attracting the spotlight with some statement that will become a headline. It is a weekly meeting with the media that allows the various party leaders to feel the pulse of the political system at large. 

There were no surprises waiting for political reporters on Monday, Nov. 18. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, with Foreign Minister Avigdor Liberman by his side, sent another warm embrace from the Likud–Yisrael Beiteinu faction meeting to French President Francois Hollande, who would later address the Knesset. Once again, Netanyahu made it clear that the agreement emerging between the international community and Iran is bad and that Israel is not beholden to it.

The chairman of the Yesh Atid Party, Finance Minister Yair Lapid, spoke about his commitment to resolving the housing crisis and promised that young couples would be able to purchase apartments in the near future. Nothing special really, but yet another attempt to redirect the social agenda to benefit the middle class as his poll numbers continue to come crashing down.

Meanwhile over at the Labor Party, the chairwoman, Knesset Member Shelly Yachimovich, and the chairman of Labor's Knesset faction, Isaac Herzog, sat edgily beside each other. The two are in the final round of their battle over the party leadership, which will be decided in the primaries on Nov. 21. Journalists covering the start of the meeting couldn’t even persuade them to shake hands for a photo op.