Israeli Labor party chairman Ehud Barak and Prime Minister-designate Benjamin Netanyahu of Likud party drafted a coalition deal on Tuesday morning, local media reported.

The preliminary deal still awaited ratification vote Tuesday afternoon by center-left Labor's Central Committee, which will convene at Tel Aviv's Exhibition Grounds to discuss the future of the party.

Significant progress was made during the coalition talks between the two parties Tuesday morning, said Ha'aretz daily on its website.

Under clauses in the deal being drafted, Likud promised that the Labor will receive five ministers and two deputy ministers, as well as the chairmanship of a Knesset (parliament) committee.

As to the diplomatic and peace issues, Israeli new government will formulate a comprehensive plan for Middle East peace and cooperation, continue peace negotiations and will commit itself to peace accords already signed.

The defense minister will be a full partner in the diplomatic process and will be a partner in any limited forum aimed at making decisions in the diplomatic, security and economic field, the draft says.

The Israeli government will also enforce the law with regards to illegal West Bank outposts, the draft states, as well as illegal Palestinian construction.

The negotiations between Labor and the Likud were only launched on Monday, aiming at bridging the differences and finalizing the remaining issues in the coalition negotiations, mainly on the economic level.

Despite what result will come out from the discussion, Labor's interior rift between opponents of the coalition deal and its supporters deepened still further.

Seven of the party's legislators, or more than half of those who oppose the agreement, sent on Monday an unprecedented letter to Netanyahu and his foreign minister-designate, Yisrael Beiteinu party leader Avigdor Lieberman, in which they declared that they will not be bound by the coalition agreement that Labor and Likud are working on, since Barak was acting without authority.

Likud now has 53 seats in the Knesset as a result of coalition deals with Yisrael Beiteinu and Shas. With Labor's support, Netanyahu would have 66 seats in the 120-member parliament.

(Xinhua News Agency March 24, 2009)