Israeli reports suggesting the United States had agreed to “suspend” negotiations on a return to the nuclear deal with Iran in order to delve into Israel’s reasons for opposing it were exaggerated. “The Americans are not withdrawing from negotiations and not delaying them,” a senior Israeli diplomatic source told Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity. “But they will hear us intensively in the coming weeks, which they have not done before, and they are approaching this process willingly and with an open heart.”

Foreign Minister Yair Lapid told Al-Monitor June 24, “The prime minister and I have changed Israeli policy regarding this process and the Americans were happy to accept it.” Asked how this change is manifesting itself, Lapid said, “Up to now, Israel screamed that the agreement was no good; the Americans screamed back that there is no better alternative and moved quickly ahead. Now, Israel will try to explain, demonstrate and prove its case to the Americans through intimate clandestine contacts. After all, we do agree on the fundamental principle that Iran must not be allowed to achieve military nuclear capabilities. We believe this way is effective, correct and serves Israel’s national security better than the previous way.”

This new tack Lapid talks about is nothing short of a dramatic shift for Israeli security and diplomacy in the wake of this month’s regime change. As former prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu insisted for years that by even entering into concrete discussions with the United States on agreement with Iran, Israel would be legitimizing the nuclear negotiations and any past or future agreements. He wanted no part of such a process. Netanyahu, who views current events in historic perspective, wanted to isolate and sever himself and Israel from anything to do with the process that resulted in agreement between world powers and Iran. He has compared the 2015 nuclear agreement to the 1938 Munich Agreement between European powers and Nazi Germany.

Netanyahu is no longer in power, but his spirit hovers over closed-door discussions with officials who adopted Netanyahu’s line over the years. Prime Minister Naftali Bennett and Lapid had their work cut out making clear to the security and intelligence agencies that the rules of the game had changed.