In a primary election overshadowed by stomach-turning terrorism against Israelis at home and in Kenya, Prime Minister Ariel Sharon on Thursday won a vote of confidence from his political party. In choosing Mr. Sharon over Foreign Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Likud Bloc voters chose the more moderate candidate when it comes to the elusive issue of Israeli-Palestinian peace.

It's a measure of how hopes for peace have deteriorated that the "moderate" in this race was Mr. Sharon, the architect of Israel's 1982 invasion of Lebanon and the man whose provocative visit to the Temple Mount in Jerusalem in September 2000 marked the beginning of the current cycle of Palestinian violence and Israeli retaliation.

But Mr. Sharon recognizes, as Mr. Netanyahu does not, that when all is said and done an independent state of Palestine is a prerequisite for lasting peace. Unfortunately, Mr. Sharon has made a viable Palestinian state less likely by supporting Jewish settlements on the West Bank, a position that eventually forced the more liberal Labor Party out of his coalition.

Under Israel's complicated election system, Mr. Sharon next January will face Labor Party leader Amram Mitzna in an election for prime minister. The winner will lead Israel as long as he can command a majority in the proportionally elected Knesset or parliament. Mr. Mitzna, the mayor of the city of Haifa, is more dovish than either Likud candidate -- probably too dovish for an Israeli electorate traumatized by suicide bombings and other attacks on Israeli innocents.

From the perspective of the United States, which remains committed to a two-state solution in Israel-Palestine, Mr. Sharon's victory over Mr. Netanyahu was the lesser of two evils. Still, unlike his Labor Party predecessors, Mr. Sharon is disinclined to think big about a solution that would serve Israeli and Palestinian interests. And as long as terrorists continue to kill Israelis, he will have little incentive to take a more generous view.

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