The writer is the Lowy Distinguished Fellow at the Council on Foreign Relations, former US ambassador to Israel and author of ‘Master of the Game’ 

For the time being, the crisis in Israel is over. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has paused his government’s effort to curb the independence of the Supreme Court, just when it looked like the country was about to descend into the abyss. President Isaac Herzog will now preside over a one-month effort to fashion a compromise, while the nation holds its breath. And Israel’s enemies and friends will watch and wonder whether this formidable regional power has succumbed to the same internal divisions that have felled so many of its neighbours.

Unfortunately, it’s likely to be a temporary reprieve. The two sides are very far apart. The government seeks control over the court to advance its far-right and religious objectives; the opposition seeks to protect the court’s independence to thwart the government.