After being granted an extension by President Reuven Rivlin, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as of May 18 only has 10 days to form his fifth government. All the parties that were supposed to be part of the next coalition understand Netanyahu's political situation as well as his sensitive legal position — he faces indictment for corruption pending a hearing — and are making unrealistic demands that are making it difficult for him to accomplish his task.

The demands in question range from a commitment to take down Hamas in Gaza to the annexation of West Bank lands to the cancellation of the 2005 disengagement and the enlistment law (concerning the drafting of ultra-Orthodox youths), a source of contention between Yisrael Beitenu head Avigdor Liberman and the ultra-Orthodox. This is in addition to Netanyahu’s desire to pass an immunity law (requiring the attorney general to get Knesset approval to withdraw a member's immunity) and the override clause (allowing the Knesset to override High Court decisions), which would save him from legal prosecution. All this is on the table, and every squabble over a comma could leave Netanyahu stranded without a government. 

Only one topic is not on the agenda of the right-wing parties: amending the Nationality Law, which anchors the Jewish nature of the State of Israel. The law caused an uproar in Israel and elsewhere and has since been left a festering, open wound. After the Knesset passed it in July 2018, Netanyahu said, “The feelings of our Druze brothers and sisters touch my heart. The people of Israel, and I among them, love and appreciate you. We deeply appreciate our partnership and the covenant between us.” This was as far as the prime minister’s empathy went. 

According to the Central Bureau of Statistics, at the end of 2018 the Druze population in Israel numbered about 143,000. Among them, 75,000 have the right to vote, representing less than two Knesset mandates. This is not the type of electoral power to strike fear in Netanyahu, despite his alleged heartfelt sentiments toward the Druze, who serve in all the security services, including the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), many of them in combat roles.