Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s speech at the Herzliya diplomatic gathering on July 9 was a first, cautious trial balloon of sorts for what political sources in Israel call his “autumn restart.” By this they mean a new diplomatic initiative that Netanyahu will launch as soon as the Iranian issue is no longer on the agenda by the end of June, assuming that a nuclear agreement is reached.

Ultimately, the goal of this initiative is the renewal of diplomatic negotiations with the Palestinians. This would be achieved by adding Isaac Herzog’s Zionist Camp to Netanyahu’s coalition, rebooting relations with the United States, reducing the growing tensions between Israel and the international community — particularly with Europe — and hindering the campaign of delegitimization and boycotts being waged against Israel. All that remains to be seen is whether Netanyahu will eventually accept and implement the plan, or whether the chaotic, unforeseeable events of the Middle East will impede it.

Where this week's speech succeeded was in bringing diplomatic negotiations back to the center stage. During his re-election campaign, Netanyahu may have said that there would be no Palestinian state on his watch, but now the issue is back on the agenda, and in a big way. Unlike in his previous speeches, the need to renew negotiations without any preconditions and return to a two-state solution that includes a Palestinian state that recognizes Israel as a Jewish state once again figures prominently in the prime minister’s speeches, second only to the Iranian threat. Because of the current fixation in Israel on crime and political scandals, Netanyahu’s speech managed to slip under the Israeli media’s radar. Nevertheless, his message got through.

Political and diplomatic forces in Israel are already working out the details of this new initiative in an informal capacity. The idea is to freeze Israeli construction outside of the major settlement blocs, to deliver a conciliatory speech on diplomatic affairs that relates positively to the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative (with the necessary reservations) and add an alluring bundle of on-the-ground Israeli concessions to the Palestinians. At the same time, Israel will continue to encourage what it calls a stabilization package for Gaza that includes further easing of the blockade and the flow of reconstruction and aid materials into Gaza to help Hamas overcome the Salafist opposition and support it as the sole government in the Gaza Strip.