HIGHLIGHTS: Vote Reveals Sharon's Political Weakness||Netanyahu Appears Poised to Replace Sharon as Likud Leader||Ereqat Says Vote Reveals That Israel's War Against Palestinians Is Not Against Terror||STORY: Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's Likud party voted Monday to reject the creation of a Palestinian state, a major defeat for Sharon.(Read photo caption)

Sharon had strongly opposed the resolution and had tried to prevent the vote, concerned that it would increase international pressure on Israel and tie his hands diplomatically.

Though the party body does not have the power to remove Sharon from office, the vote showed his political weakness in his own camp and might limit his effectiveness.

Behind the confrontation with Sharon was ex-premier Benjamin Netanyahu, who has announced his plans to challenge Sharon for party leadership and eventually replace him as prime minister.

Only a handful of delegates voted against the Netanyahu-backed resolution, which read, "No Palestinian state will be created west of the Jordan (River)," referring to the area including the West Bank, Israel and the Gaza Strip.

Opposition to a Palestinian state has been the traditional position of the Likud, but Sharon has said that under stringent conditions, he would agree to creation of such a state, at one point calling it "inevitable."

Responding to the vote, Palestinian Cabinet minister Saeb Erekat said it "unmasked many things. This just shows that the war being waged by Israel against the Palestinians is not a war against what they call terror, it's really their war to maintain the occupation of the West Bank and Gaza." He told The Associated Press that the vote was "a real slap in the face" for President Bush, who has spoken in favor of setting up a Palestinian state.

Instead of the measure opposing a Palestinian state, Sharon asked the convention to approve a resolution backing his government in its efforts for peace and security. In a secret ballot, delegates voted against Sharon's proposal by a margin of 59 to 41 percent, a stinging defeat for the prime minister.

Looking defiant but uncomfortable, Sharon he would honor the decisions of his party's central committee, but added, "I will continue to lead the state of Israel and the people of Israel according to the same ideas that led me always - security for the state of Israel and its citizens and our desire for real peace."

PHOTO CAPTION

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, left, and former Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu pause during a Likud Party conference in Tel-Aviv Sunday May 12, 2002. Sharon asked the members of his party not to vote Sunday on whether there should be a Palestinian state in a final peace agreement. (AP Photo/Eitan Hess-Ashkenazi)