Benjamin Netanyahu has resigned his post as Israel’s finance Minister

over his opposition to the disengagement in Gaza.

The move (and especially its timing) seems calculated, an attempt by

Netanyahu to position himself to re-assume leadership of the

conservative Likud party if Ariel Sharon’s disengagement plan fails.

The disengagement plan is bold, risky, and painful, and the last thing

Israel needs right now is political gamesmanship.