Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu always tries to grab the stick by both ends. He talks peace while simultaneously hindering diplomatic negotiations. He dances to the right while turning his gaze to the left. He delivers his “Two-State Solution Speech” while accelerating construction in the settlements.

There are, however, those rare instances when Netanyahu is caught in the corner on the right or the left, with no room to maneuver. That is exactly the situation he is facing now. The Israeli right is hounding him with its demands for more construction in the settlements, but Netanyahu, backed by Defense Minister Moshe Ya’alon, adamantly refuses to concede to their demands. The right is insisting that Jews be allowed to go up to the Temple Mount, while Netanyahu tries to restore calm by keeping ministers and Knesset members away from that volatile site. Then, when there is an uproar, the prime minister announces that his new orders cover Arab Knesset members, too.

In an effort to justify his position, on Oct. 3 Netanyahu summoned attorney Yitzhak Molcho to a Cabinet meeting. Molcho is Netanyahu’s special envoy and official negotiator with both the Palestinians and the US administration. He also happens to be Netanyahu’s personal attorney and even a member of the prime minister’s extended family (albeit only a distant relative). Molcho was supposed to provide Netanyahu with cover when facing ministers from the right, particularly HaBayit HaYehudi Ministers Naftali Bennett and Ayelet Shaked, who demand that the government “Build [settlements] now!”

Molcho shared some remarkable stories with the Cabinet. “[US Secretary of State] John Kerry has been looking for me. He’s been leaving me messages on my cellphone,” Molcho told them. “He informed me that if we announce more construction now, the US would be unable to veto the French proposal regarding the settlements, which will soon be brought before the Security Council,” and added, “That would be a catastrophe.” The ministers bombarded him with questions, and he responded in kind. The scenario that he laid out before the Cabinet was nothing short of apocalyptic. With the meeting focused on the issue, Netanyahu got him to say much more. Whenever a volatile topic came up, he turned to Molcho. When ministers spoke about the need to build more in Jerusalem, the prime minister asked Molcho, “What do you have to say about Jerusalem, Itzik?” at which point Itzik (the diminutive form of Yitzhak in Israeli Hebrew) said, “Jerusalem is the most volatile issue of all. It is the most critical issue for the Americans. Any talk about Jerusalem would cause terrible damage.”