It took Naftali Bennett, HaBayit HaYehudi chairman and right-wing icon of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government, almost three days before he issued his first hint of criticism about the decision to rein in construction in the settlements. On the evening of April 2, he tweeted, “This was a missed strategic opportunity. Instead of laying out alternatives … we were passive.”

Bennett was referring to what took place March 30, when the Diplomatic-Security Cabinet convened for an urgent meeting. It was close to midnight when the Cabinet made public its decision to establish a new West Bank settlement for the settlers evacuated from the Amona outpost. The decision made it into the weekend newspapers just before deadlines and was of historical significance: It will be the first new settlement established in 20 years.

It was at 2 a.m., after the newspapers had closed, when another decision was made public: Construction in the settlements would be curbed, according to an outline drawn up by Netanyahu himself. New construction would be limited to built-up borders of existing settlements or adjacent to them. Netanyahu had requested the support of the ministers for the restriction, and the Cabinet authorized it unanimously. Even Bennett agreed, as did his fellow party member and justice minister, Ayelet Shaked.

No, the decision is not the result of an agreement with the US administration. No such agreement has yet been reached. Contacts through President Donald Trump’s people have not borne fruit, and the distances between the sides are not negligible. Anyone on the Israeli right who thought that Trump’s election signaled the onset of the Messianic era was simply wrong. Thus, to pave the way for the establishment of a new settlement for the Amona evacuees, Netanyahu “volunteered” to declare a curtailment of construction in the outline he made public.