These Israelis want to fly home to vote. Netanyahu is trying to stop them

Israeli Expats Organize Flights Home as Election Fight Moves Beyond the Country’s Borders

Activelifezero.com – Israel’s coming October 27 election is creating an unusual political contest far from polling stations: thousands of citizens living overseas are arranging trips back to Israel so they can vote, while Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party seeks to block an initiative helping make those journeys possible.

Israel does not generally permit its citizens abroad to vote by mail or cast ballots at overseas polling places. With limited exceptions for diplomats and official representatives, Israelis outside the country must be physically present on election day. For many, that means paying for an international flight or losing the opportunity to participate.

The issue has taken on greater importance because the election is expected to be exceptionally close. Polling shows neither Netanyahu’s right-wing and ultra-Orthodox alliance nor a divided opposition currently reaching the 61 seats needed to command a majority in the Knesset. In that environment, even a relatively small bloc of returning voters could affect who forms Israel’s next government.

Likud challenges overseas voting effort

On Wednesday, Likud petitioned Israel’s Central Elections Committee to stop “Fly & Vote,” a grassroots project that assists Israelis abroad who intend to return for the ballot. The party argues that the initiative is an unlawful operation supported by foreign money and could damage the fairness of the election.

“Fly & Vote” was created by the America-Israel Democracy AID Coalition, a nonprofit organization based in the United States and founded in 2023. The coalition says its purpose is to strengthen democratic institutions in Israel.

Its organizers say they do not buy tickets for participants. Instead, they use technology to identify lower-cost commercial routes, unconventional flight combinations and possible group fares. The initiative also offers practical support, including help with passport renewals, voter eligibility questions and travel planning. Charter flights may be considered if commercial options are insufficient or if enough people want to travel together.

More than 35,000 Israelis have registered with the project, its organizers say. Internal surveys indicate that over 50,000 people may plan to fly back to Israel to vote.

That potential turnout matters in a country where elections have often been determined by narrow margins. Israelis living outside the country can represent as much as 10% of the population at a given time, yet their ability to vote depends on whether they can make the trip home.

A question of access and political influence

Likud contends that discounted fares and priority access to flights could constitute prohibited benefits under Israeli election law, even if travelers ultimately pay their own costs. Its filing portrays the coalition as a political organization intended to channel donations from the United States to Israeli protest movements and alleges ties to the opposition Democrats party.

The coalition and the Democrats party reject any affiliation. “Fly & Vote” says it does not ask participants which party they support and does not provide voters with money or other electoral incentives.

“We do not ask or check who they are voting for behind the ballot box,” Batell Blaish Sultanik, a co-founder of “Fly & Vote,” said. “It’s about the right to vote.”

Sultanik describes the effort as a broad international mobilization involving Israelis in many countries, rather than a campaign for a particular political camp.

“Something bigger is happening here. There is an international movement from all over the world. It’s a national event,” Sultanik said, comparing the response to the return of Israelis who came back to enlist following October 7. “Israelis understand their vote is important.”

Likud’s petition also cites another America-Israel Democracy AID Coalition project, “FLY AND AID,” which provides $250 gift cards to people volunteering in Israel. The party argues that the separate program reinforces its view that the coalition is trying to shape electoral outcomes.

Voting after years of upheaval

The election will be Israel’s first national vote following four turbulent years under Netanyahu’s current coalition. The period included large demonstrations by liberal Israelis against a proposed judicial overhaul, the October 7, 2023 attack, and the three-year conflict that followed across multiple fronts.

For some Israelis living overseas, the political and social upheaval has made returning to vote feel like a personal obligation. Adi Ayash, an Israeli digital content creator based in Thailand, said the expense or inconvenience of travel did not change his decision.

“As someone who is very engaged and very worried by the reality of the (current) Israeli leadership, I feel that it is my duty,” Ayash said.

“Not to exercise my democratic right because of flight costs or convenience feels to me like extreme hypocrisy.”

Others say the effort to halt “Fly & Vote” has strengthened their motivation. Josh Drill, who plans to travel from New York with a group organized through the initiative, said legal challenges would not deter him.

“Every attempt to obstruct our democratic right to vote only strengthens our determination to get on a plane, cast our ballot, and take part in this election to help shape the future of Israel,” Drill said.

Why the dispute could matter

The Central Elections Committee will need to assess whether the services offered by “Fly & Vote” are ordinary logistical assistance or an impermissible election-related benefit. The decision may shape not only the immediate plans of expatriate voters but also the practical limits of civic organizing across borders.

The case highlights a structural feature of Israeli elections: citizens abroad retain the right to vote, but most cannot exercise it remotely. A person who has moved temporarily for work, study, family or travel faces a much greater burden than a voter living in Israel. Flight prices, visa schedules, passport validity and time away from home can all become part of the democratic equation.

With the country’s political blocs closely balanced, the question is no longer simply whether Israelis overseas want to vote. It is whether they will be able to get home in time—and whether the committee permits organizations to help them do so.