MK Raleb Majadele, one of nine Labor MKs opposed to the inclusion of the right-wing Yisrael Beteinu party in the government, said Friday that the party's entry into the coalition would mark a "black day for the Knesset of Israel, a black day for democracy."

Labor Party members opposed to the inclusion of Yisrael Beiteinu are demanding that a secret ballot on the matter be held at the Labor Central Committee meeting Sunday.

Majadele said that he will vote against Yisrael Beiteinu's entry into the coalition when the matter comes before the Knesset plenum.

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"In my worst nightmares I never believed that the Labor Party would reach a day like this, with [Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor] Lieberman and us as coalition partners," Majadele told Israel Radio on Friday. Lieberman "denies the right of Israel's Arab citizens to exist," he said.

Lieberman favors a land and population transfer that would give Palestinians control over a heavily Arab section of the Galilee and revoke the Israeli citizenship of Arabs living there.

Majadele and one minister - Culture and Sport Minister Ophir Pines-Paz - are among the nine Labor MKs are opposed to bringing Lieberman into the coalition.

However, most central committee members are thought to favor expanding the coalition by bringing him in.

Moreover, six Labor ministers, including party chairman and Defense Minister Amir Peretz, favor including Yisrael Beiteinu and are working to ensure a majority for their view in the central committee. On Wednesday, all Labor ministers except Pines-Paz backed the agreement between Peretz and Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that led the Labor leader to back down from his initial opposition to Lieberman's inclusion in the government.

Pines-Paz insisted that although there appears to be a majority on the central committee for the inclusion of Yisrael Beiteinu, most committee members understand the severe implications of participating in a coalition with a party whose views are so opposed to those of Labor.

Pines-Paz was unwilling to comment Thursday on whether he intended to resign if the central committee approved sitting in a coalition with Yisrael Beiteinu. He said that this is not a relevant question.

Arab central committee members are also busily trying to prevent Lieberman's inclusion in the government. However, National Infrastructure Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, who supports bringing in Yisrael Beiteinu, is trying to counter these efforts. He is planning a tour of Arab communities on Saturday, which is also Id al-Fitr, the holiday celebrating the end of Ramadan.

Meanwhile, under the leadership of Agriculture Minister Shalom Simhon, a Labor Party committee met Thursday to discuss procedural matters relating to the party primary. One of the most important issues is when to hold the primary. Simhon said that he expected the vote to be postponed from the May 2007 date set in the party's constitution.

Party sources believe that the primary will be postponed because Ben-Eliezer, Peretz, Simhon and Ehud Barak are all interested in such a delay.