Sharon quits Likkud

Took me a day to suss out what this whole deal means in terms of both Israel in general and the Mideast conflict as it currently stands. I think the move is one of logistics as much as it is one of Sharon's views shifting toward the left. It was clear that any further moves Sharon had in mind would be blocked by the far right parties and that even those in Likkud wouldn't back him up. So he did the sensible thing and took his ball and started a new game. Now, in terms of Israeli politics, new parties haven't done so well, but this may be the exception that disproves the rule. Or it may blow up in Sharon's face if the Israeli public isn't ready to shift back to the left.

This move will obviously end any peace negotiations (not like there were any save the Rafah deal) until both Israel and the Palestinians have finished their election processes. In any event, all this should make for interesting times in the Middle East