Lieberman heckled at Arab forum

Lieberman said he expected a hostile reaction

Democratic presidential hopeful Joseph Lieberman has been booed by hecklers at an Arab American forum in Detroit.

Senator Lieberman, who is an Orthodox Jew, was interrupted after he refused to condemn Israel's construction of a security fence through the West Bank.

However, he was applauded for some of his comments, including his calls for tolerance and unity.

He was one of several Democrats who addressed the Detroit forum, campaigning for the Arab vote in the 2004 presidential election.

Hostile audience

Speaking at the Arab American Institute's national leadership conference, Mr Lieberman said Israel had a right to protect itself and urged the Palestinians to "dismantle the terrorist infrastructure".

His comments during a question-and-answer session drew such a strong response that the chairman of the gathering had to repeatedly calm the audience to let the Connecticut senator continue his speech.

"What about the wall?" shouted angry participants.

"I regret the confiscations," answered Mr Lieberman, referring to Palestinian land seized during Israel's construction of the security fence.

But he further antagonised the audience when he said that the "wall is temporary" and would be demolished when Israel and a sovereign Palestinian state were living side-by-side in peace.

Fight for Arab vote

He was applauded later for criticising the US roundup of hundreds of Arabs and Muslims after the 11 September attacks.

The senator also won some sympathy from the audience when he expressed outrage over comments by a top Pentagon official who said Muslims worshipped an "idol".

"I've studied Islam. That's not just wrong. That is a desecration. The war on terrorism is a war on terrorists, not on religions," Mr Lieberman said.

He was one several Democratic candidates trying to win over the important Arab vote in Michigan and other states still viewed by many experts as wide open in next year's elections.

Among other hopefuls who addressed the conference were Representative Dennis Kucinich of Ohio and former Nato commander Wesley Clark.