Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu strode confidently into the Likud Party chambers in the Knesset on the afternoon of May 30, willingly shaking hands with all the Likud activists who came to rub shoulders with the party’s top leaders.

Just one night earlier, after many long days, he had resolved the crisis with his mortal enemy HaBayit HaYehudi head and Education Minister Naftali Bennett and could finally bring the appointment of Avigdor Liberman as defense minister up for approval by the Cabinet. Doing that would expand his narrow coalition and give him the safety net he wants.

Aware of the many television cameras awaiting him, Netanyahu tried to present the image of yet another political victory for him. That is why he tried to appear at ease, without a care in the world. He even found time to take a selfie with a Likud member who was celebrating her birthday.

Yet despite his latest achievement, this was not a pleasant day for Netanyahu. He may have bought himself political stability for now, but he is the first to recognize that it comes with an expiration date. He is also the first to know that while his coalition may no longer be subject to extortion by Likud backbenchers, his various coalition partners from Bennett to Liberman to Finance Minister Moshe Kahlon could become toxic in an instant. There is no love lost in this coalition, nor is there a clear agenda. It is ostensibly a hard right coalition, but Liberman of all people is singing a more moderate tune, saying that Israeli unity is more important to him than territorial integrity, hinting at future diplomatic initiatives.