Israel elections / '99% of Israeli Arabs stand by their loyalty to the state'

Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Sunday that while he believes the government must take action against any disloyal citizen, he could not back rival Yisrael Beiteinu leader Avigdor Lieberman's campaign motto of "no citizenship without loyalty."

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"I believe in the declaration of independence and the need to act accordingly. Ninety-nine percent of Arab citizens are citizens who stand by their obligation to the state. I think steps need to be taken when people act against the state, Jews and Arabs alike," Barak said in an interview with Channel Two.

"As I see it, Lieberman's statement 'No citizenship without loyalty' is wrong. That is not Israel's problem. Some political players are dealing with that instead of with the true issues," he added.

Channel Two on Sunday aired live interviews with the top three contenders for prime minister: Labor Chair Barak, Kadima Chairwoman Tzipi Livni and Likud Chairman Benjamin Netanyahu.

All three candidates were asked about Lieberman, whose campaign against Israeli Arabs has sparked outrage. Lieberman has declared his ambition of gaining 15 seats in next week's election, while surveys in fact predict Yisrael Beiteinu may win even more than that.

Livni told the interviewers that she would not discount the possibility of forming a coalition government with Lieberman, despite his controversial stance.

"I don't speak about politicians, but about the social process which brings voters to the polls out hatred and fear," she said. "I say, come vote not out of despair but out of hope."

"I will site in a government set as I dictate, according to the ideology of Kadima. Anyone who wants can join this way," she said. Livni told Channel Two that should she be elected, her first move would be to invite contenders Barak and Netanyahu to form a "real unity government."

During the interview, Netanyahu was asked about his relationship with Lieberman, which has been compared to that of Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin and President Dmitry Medvedev. The interviewers asked if Netanyahu would agree to Lieberman forming the coalition should the two parties score the same number of seats.

"I don't see that as a possibility, not in practice nor in principle," Netanyahu said. "We will recommend me, as leader of Likud, to be prime minister."

"There is a strong awakening of people who understand that the only way to return to a leadership government is to vote Likud. People are beginning to get what may have seen obvious from the beginning - you vote for one [party], not two."

All three candidates were quick to speak in favor of forming a unity coalition. Netanyahu said that while he believed he would be charged with forming the next coalition, he nevertheless planned on a wide national unity government.

'"I think we [Likud] are going to form the next government. I have no agreements with anyone but I have faith in the good sense of the Israeli voter, who understands that we want a stable government with a backbone and wants our leadership," he said. "I will form a wide national unity government, I will turn to our natural partners and then also to the other Zionist parties.

Barak also jumped on the idea of a unity government, saying: "The public so wants to see unity between Labor, Kadima and Likud in the next government. More than anything what we need is a mature, responsible and sensible person who can hold us together and make sure that every field will be treated with maturity, responsibility and experience. This is why Labor is most fitting to lead the government."