Over the last week, workers for the Netanya municipality have been scrubbing clean every possible part of the square housing the impressive sculpture erected to commemorate fallen Red Army soldiers. That´s where Russia´s new-old President Vladimir Putin will arrive not long after landing in Israel on Monday.

The monument was the result of a joint initiative by Putin and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, one which Putin specifically asked to inaugurate during his visit.

After leaving Netanyahu, Putin will arrive in Jerusalem where Netanyahu will host the new Russian president at his residence. The latter cancelled his participation at the Netanyahu ceremony following his recent leg injury, thus perhaps avoiding a battle both credit and seating arrangements with President Shimon Peres, who too will attend the statue´s inauguration and who is planned to host Putin in a state dinner.

Joining Netanyahu´s lunch with Putin will be two officials who have caused the premier quite a bit of agony over the evacuation of the Ulpana Hill outpost and the settlement regulation bill - Public Diplomacy Minister Yuli Edelstein and coalition chairman Zeev Elkin.

Edelstein was the most prominent minister opposing the Ulpana Hill evacuation and supporting the bill that would regulate West Bank construction, eventually, however, backing down over, among other reasons, Netanyahu´s threats to fire ministers who voted for the bill.

At the time the public diplomacy minister said that a phone call he received from Netanyahu, in which the premier updated him on plans for extensive settlement construction, convinced him for retract his opposition.

Eklin, for his part, persisted in his resistance, launching a head-on attack struggle with Netanyahu over the settlement bill, which infuriated the premier, who went as far as threatening to fire the coalition chairman.

Two weeks ago, Elkin met with Netanyahu and offered his apology for his conduct concerning the bill, saying: "Last week´s flurry of emotions caused us to find in conflict," adding: "Things were said that shouldn´t have been said."

"It´s alright for people to disagree in a debate, but it mustn´t become personal. If there were things I said that could be interpreted as a personal offence against you, then I wish to apologize for that," Elkin reportedly said.

Netanyahu, who invited the two officials to accompany him during a 2010 visit to Moscow, asked them to join the upcoming meeting to serve as interpreters, but also as part of a kind of political maintenance meant to take the sting out of future mutinies.

Also invited to the meeting are Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, Defense Minister Ehud Barak, and Vice Prime Minister Shaul Mofaz. (© Copyright 2012 Ha´aretz 06/22/12)