Jerusalem - The new great hope of Israeli politics formally launched his prime ministerial candidacy yesterday, and immediately ran into a predictable barrage of criticism from his worried opponents.
Dry and rather tense at a Tel Aviv press conference, Mr Amnon Lipkin-Shahak, who stepped down as Israel's army chief-of-staff only last summer, began his campaign with a blistering assault on the Prime Minister. Mr Benjamin Netanyahu, he said, "is dangerous to Israel. Netanyahu has to go home". But he also criticised the main opposition Labour party, which he said had failed to heal the internal divisions afflicting Israel.
Attempting to turn a disadvantage into an asset, Mr Lipkin-Shahak (55) acknowledged that "I have no political experience. But I haven't arrived from another planet". He said he would offer a fresh and honest approach to leadership, and set out generally inoffensive views on issues of religion and economics.
Mr Netanyahu, responding to the personal attack, charged him with "borderline incitement". Labour officials carped that he offered no new policies. And Mrs Leah Rabin, who has been pleading in vain with him to join the Labour Party, accused him of weakening opposition prospects of ousting Mr Netanyahu in the elections on May 17th.
More objective analysts are also criticising the new candidate - for failing to strike a formal alliance with other centrist groups and leaders, and for surrounding himself with several rather tarnished advisers.