“If Netanyahu was serious, Herzog would already be in his government as foreign minister. But he didn’t really want that, and he didn’t really try.”

A senior Likud minister provided this explanation to Al-Monitor in answer to the question whether Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was serious, and is still serious, about his plans to bring the Zionist Camp into his coalition. On more than one occasion, that same minister saw how effective coalition negotiations are usually handled when both sides are interested. This time around, he believes the only reason Netanyahu even held discussions with opposition leader Isaac Herzog was for the sake of having those discussions.

At a meeting of Likud ministers May 4, the prime minister confirmed that he had been in discussions about expanding his government with both Yisrael Beitenu Chairman Avigdor Liberman and Zionist Camp Chairman Isaac Herzog. As Netanyahu explained, one wouldn’t (Liberman), and one couldn’t (Herzog). The question remains: What did Netanyahu really want to achieve?

Similarly, one can only wonder whether — given increased reports of feelers being sent out to Herzog (contacts that stopped when he came under criminal investigation) — it is really possible to form a unity government now. The question becomes all the more relevant as it becomes increasingly apparent that the investigation is not gathering enough momentum to include actual criminal charges.