Perhaps to Russian voters this looks like he’s playing tough and inscrutable — but to American and Israeli voters, Liberman looks juvenile, like he’s playing games, and worst of all, that he is simply unreliable.
While its unlikely that Liberman will lose much of his hardcore Russian voters (as they want his secular agenda), his play to pretend to be in the “Center” has already lost him his right-wing vote, and he isn’t going to be picking up new “center” votes to replace them.
So why is he doing this?
Again, Purim is the obvious answer.
On Purim, everyone wants to pretend they are something they are not – except that Liberman’s peace plan, which includes giving away large swaths of pre and post 67 Israel, doesn’t differentiate him much from Meretz in that aspect. So when he says he might go with Livni and Herzog – I believe him.
One must assume that since every current poll shows Liberman’s party as unneeded to form a Right-wing coalition, but pretty much required for forming a Left-wing coalition, that Liberman plans to go where he will have relevance and power — and that isn’t with Netanyahu.
Purim may be on, but the masks are off.