In his three months filling in for the stricken Ariel Sharon, acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has chosen to work out of his old office and not the prime minister's office.
Similarly, at cabinet meetings he has left empty the chair occupied by Mr Sharon before being felled by his stroke, even though it was clear that Mr Sharon would not be coming back.
These niceties stem not only from deference to Mr Sharon, who is still officially prime minister, but from a wish not to be seen as a usurper.
The almost certain winner in Tuesday's general election, Mr Olmert had never before been considered by insiders a likely prime minister. The 60-year-old was too sharp-tongued with his political peers and with the press, too well connected with wealthy businessmen, too enamoured of trips abroad and expensive cigars to make him a popular figure.
Although he barely made it into the Knesset three years ago, he was chosen by Mr Sharon as a minister and his No2.
Mr Sharon picked him because of Mr Olmert's political savvy and because he, like Mr Sharon, had begun to embrace the notion of returning most captured land to the Palestinians so that they could establish their own state. He was at Mr Sharon's right hand when the latter quit Likud last October and founded the centrist Kadima Party.
Since the sitting leader entered hospital, Mr Olmert has sought to project a restrained, presidential, image. He had begun his political career on the far right. As a young Knesset member, he opposed Israel's withdrawal from Sinai in return for a peace treaty with Egypt.