Israeli Finance Minister Avigdor Liberman was in high spirits Sept. 2, as he roamed the Knesset’s corridors. A few hours before, the Knesset approved a first reading (out of three required readings) of the state budget for 2021-22, and he knew that he would get past this ominous hurdle, which threatened the government’s stability.

Liberman worked hard over the last few days, searching for solutions and compromises, and dismantling the many obstacles along the way. Volatile issues like raising the retirement age for women encountered stiff opposition from female members of the coalition’s left-wing partners. He resolved these issues methodically, tackling them one by one. After a marathon meeting with those concerned parliamentarians, he instructed the staff of the Finance Ministry to come up with a security net for women from weaker sectors of the population, especially those with jobs most likely to cause burnout.

The mood was certainly congenial. Liberman even had pizza delivered during these discussions. If anything, it was a sign of goodwill between the minister and his coalition partners from across the political spectrum. Everyone knew that this was the big test for the new coalition. Failure would have devastating consequences, and could even indicate the coalition’s demise.

But it didn’t fail. Everything went smoothly and better. By 10 p.m., Liberman tweeted, “We did it! The State Budget and Arrangements Law passed their first reading in the Knesset!” It almost seemed like a signal to the rest of the coalition that they could begin to celebrate. Representative from all the parties immediately started tweeting self-congratulatory posts, accompanied by photos of themselves hugging their allies and celebrating the momentous occasion. They were certainly pleased with themselves.