Lieberman helped Netanyahu become prime minister in 1996, and when the government collapsed in 1999, he formed Israel Is Our Home, won a seat in parliament and has twice held Cabinet posts.
His party's presence in parliament grew from four seats in 1999 to 11 in the 2006 election.
Lieberman's loyalty initiative has extended his appeal beyond the Russian-speaking community, with Friday's polls indicating his party will win an additional six to eight seats.
The loyalty slogan is plastered on buses and billboards nationwide, and Lieberman's campaign says it has collected more than 20,000 signatures backing the proposed citizenship amendment. A poll published in the newspaper Maariv said 69% of voting-age Israeli Jews supported it.
Thursday's rally drew a working-class crowd of Russian speakers and native Israelis from northern Israel, a region dotted with Arab towns and villages.
Rami Cohen, 55, who voted for Kadima last time, said he had come undecided and left the rally leaning toward Lieberman. He said he was worried by signs of unrest in Arab communities in the north.
"The time has come for a heavy hand against people posing threats from within," he said. "Only when we take care of these problems will we be able to live in a true state of peace."
Israeli Arab leaders reject Lieberman's ideas as undemocratic.
"No one can demand that I join the army and fight against my Palestinian brothers," said Abbas Zakour, an Arab lawmaker. "No one can dictate to nearly a million and a half Arabs to sing the anthem. Certainly no one who came from Russia 20 years ago can tell me what to do in my ancestors' land."
Ahmed Tibi, another Arab in parliament, has called on the international community to boycott Israel if Lieberman rises to power, as it did Austria when far-right leader Jorg Haider joined that country's government.
But Netanyahu is desperately courting Lieberman, along with his constituency.
About 1,500 Russian-speaking voters bused from all over Israel to the Tel Aviv Fairgrounds on Wednesday heard the front-runner promise "an important ministry" for Lieberman in a Netanyahu Cabinet.
"If you vote for another party, Likud will become weaker," Netanyahu told them. "Kadima and other parties on the left will benefit, and this is not what you want."
Livni, while lamenting "the trend for a party whose entire slate is based on hate," has avoided criticizing Lieberman, knowing that the shift of voters from Likud to his party could help her win.
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boudreaux@latimes.com
