TEL AVIV • Israel appeared headed for a unity government yesterday after opposition leader Benny Gantz moved towards an agreement with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, disappointing voters who had hoped to bring down the right-wing premier.

Mr Gantz was elected parliamentary Speaker on Thursday with support from Mr Netanyahu's Likud and allied parties, leaving many of his own partners furious over the possibility he could form an alliance with a leader under criminal indictment.

The shock move splintered Mr Gantz's centrist Blue and White party just 13 months after it came into existence as a coalition of Netanyahu opponents intent on bringing down the 70-year-old, who is Israel's longest-serving premier.

It also drew an angry response from some among the hundreds of thousands of Israelis who turned out to support Mr Gantz's coalition in three elections in the past year.

"These are not normal days and they call for special decisions. Therefore, as I've said, I intend to examine and advance, in any possible way, the creation of a national emergency government," Mr Gantz told Parliament, accepting the Speaker's gavel.

His short speech followed a sombre scene underlying the gravity of the coronavirus crisis in which parliamentarians walked into the Knesset's near-empty main chamber one by one to vote, to maintain social distancing.

In a separate message on Twitter, Mr Gantz said: "Israel should not be dragged into a fourth election in such a challenging time, when the country is dealing with the coronavirus crisis and all its implications."

Some commentators accused the 60-year-old former general of caving in to Mr Netanyahu.

"It makes me feel terrible. It's exactly what I did not want to happen, to see Gantz actually partner with Netanyahu," said Ms Tami Golan, 46, who voted for Mr Gantz in all three elections. "I understand the coronavirus makes for a special situation, but I can't help but feel disappointed - we might not be done with Netanyahu," Ms Golan said.

Many Blue and White voters felt betrayed, commentator Nahum Barnea wrote in the Yedioth Ahronoth daily. "The only reason that led them to vote for this half-baked party was the desire to see Netanyahu outside of Balfour Street," he said, referring to the premier's official Jerusalem residence.

"Why did Gantz give up? It's very simple. Gantz is tired. And so would you be after 14 months of being relentlessly smeared and outmanoeuvred by Netanyahu," Mr Anshel Pfeffer, a political analyst for Israel's Haaretz newspaper, wrote on Twitter.

Mr Yair Lapid, one of Mr Gantz's allies in the Blue and White leadership, chastised the new Speaker.

"What's being formed today isn't a unity government and not an emergency government. It's another Netanyahu government. Benny Gantz surrendered without a fight and crawled into Netanyahu's government," Mr Lapid said in a statement.

Israel is under partial lockdown due to the virus, which has killed 10 people and infected over 3,000.

During the election campaign, Mr Gantz had ruled out serving with Mr Netanyahu, citing the Prime Minister's looming trial on charges of bribery, fraud and breach of trust, which he denies.

But Mr Gantz lacked enough support on the centre and left to form a coalition administration after being asked by President Reuven Rivlin to try and form a government following the March 2 election.

Mr Netanyahu has proposed a unity government to tackle the coronavirus crisis, promising to step down as premier within an agreed period, and with Mr Gantz then taking over.

Mr Gantz's move on Thursday opened up the possibility of such a "rotation" deal, but there has been no formal announcement that such an agreement had been reached.

Some Israeli media reports said Mr Gantz would take over by September next year, but this was not confirmed by either side.

REUTERS