JERUSALEM — Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Blue and White party leader Benny Gantz have agreed on the formation of a national emergency government, according to a joint statement from the two leaders’ political parties.

The announcement, made by Netanyahu’s Likud party and Gantz’s Blue and White party, includes a timeline for potential annexation of parts of the West Bank over the summer, and may signal an end to more than a year of political deadlock during which Israel held three general elections.

“We prevented a fourth election,” Gantz tweeted Monday after the agreement was announced according to CNN, adding, “We will safeguard the democracy, we will fight the coronavirus and we will take care of all the citizens of Israel.”

Gantz had campaigned promising that he would not be part of a government with an indicted prime minister, but broke with his Blue and White allies almost a month ago when he announced he was seeking a unity government with Netanyahu.

“I promised the state of Israel a national emergency government that will act to save the lives and livelihoods of the citizens of Israel,” Netanyahu said. “I will continue to do everything for you, citizens of Israel.”

The agreement sets a date of July 1 from which the process to annex parts of the West Bank — as envisioned in President Trump’s peace plan, which has been sharply criticized by Palestinian rights activists — can begin.

Under the plan, Israel can expect to receive United States’ support for the application of Israeli sovereignty over all settlements in the territory, which are considered to be internationally illegal but not illegal according to a recent U.S. ruling, as well as the Jordan Valley, which lies along the border with Jordan.

The new government does not spell out exactly which bits of territory are part of the plans to annex, but instead commits Netanyahu and Gantz to approach the issue “with the full understanding of the U.S. and with international dialogue in the matter.”

Following the news, Joint List, a political alliance of the main Arab-majority political parties in Israel, called it a “slap in the face,” according to Mondoweiss.net.

“Gantz’s surrender is a slap in the face to the civilian who repeatedly goes to the ballot box to oust Netanyahu,” Joint List head head Ayman Odeh wrote on Twitter. “Gantz was not brave enough to win and chose to legalize annexation, racism and corruption.”

Palestine Liberation Organization Secretary General Saeb Erakat said in a statement that annexation would mean “the end of any possibility for a negotiated solution” between Israelis and Palestinians.

“The new Israeli government has two options: Open the doors for a meaningful peace process or to further jeopardize any hope for peace,” Erakat said.

Under the terms of the new government, Netanyahu will continue as prime minister for a further 18 months, after which he will step aside and Gantz will take over. If he resigns before then, Gantz will lead a transitional government.

Annexation is understood to mean about 30 percent of the West Bank, including the Jordan Valley and Jewish settlements that include more than 620,000 colonists.

The U.S. is the only country that has not rejected annexation out-of-hand, according to the Times of Israel.

The European Union has reportedly spoken with Gantz’s foreign affairs adviser, telling her that the union strongly opposes any unilateral move to extend Israeli sovereignty over the West Bank.