Former defense minister Moshe Ya'alon attacked on Wednesday the Israeli government as corrupt and extreme—pledging to challenge it in the next election.
Ya'alon told foreign reporters that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's government "didn't demonstrate its responsibility" and had undermined the country's democratic values.
Ya'alon, who now heads a new political movement, said the extremist culture of "generating hatred for short-term political benefits" posed a greater challenge to Israel than Islamic militants.
The former IDF chief was forced to resign last year after Netanyahu expanded his coalition government and offered the defense post to Avigdor Lieberman, a firebrand leader of the hard-line nationalist Yisrael Beytenu party.
Netanyahu and Ya'alon had been at odds following a series of disagreements between political hard-liners and military leaders, with Ya'alon backing the military.