When US President Donald Trump left Israel after his whirlwind 28-hour tour, much of the country breathed a sigh of relief.Trump had not, as many had feared, issued unsubstantiated statements or destabilised further the brittle regional status quo.He did not even tweet.

The dissolution of Israel’s parliament, the Knesset, just a day after Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu sacked two senior Cabinet ministers, marks a surprising turnabout. Indeed, when Israelis vote again in March, more than two years ahead of schedule, Netanyahu could be v