Gantz and Lapid
Gantz and LapidPhoto by Noam Revkin Fenton/Flash90

Hebrew news site Srugim reported that a poll published by Channel 12's Amit Segal is what compelled Benny Gantz to dismantle the Blue and White party and join a unity government with Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.

In a survey commissioned by Gantz, two questions were asked regarding political scenarios the Blue and White chairman had examined in recent days. One examined the establishment of a unity government with anti-unity Lapid left on the outside looking in, while the other gauged supporters' opinions on remaining in the opposition and helping Netanyahu fight the coronavirus outbreak from the outside.

Poll results provided a definitive answer to Gantz's conundrum, forcing him to dissolve Blue and White, accepting the appointment as Knesset Speaker and senior partner in Netanyahu's government.

The first scenario those polled were asked about was: Establishment of a temporary half-year emergency government headed by Netanyahu along with the right-wing bloc, Blue and White, Labor-Meretz and Yisrael Beytenu without support from Lapid.

According to the survey, 61% of Blue and White voters responded in favor of the move. 69% of center-right party faithful said they supported the decision, compared with 57% on the center-left.

The second scenario presented in the survey was the only other possibility unless the Joint Arab List became part of or supported Gantz's coalition: Establishment of a narrow right-wing government led by Netanyahu, with Blue and White in the opposition along with Lapid supporting the government's actions in the Corona fight from the outside.

According to the survey, only 14% of Blue and White supporters preferred this option with just 10% of those who regard themselves as center-right favoring this arrangement, and 16% center-left Blue and White voters backing the move.