Seeing pivotal election, Israelis fly from around world to vote

Supporters of Avigdor Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu party demonstrate at the 'Democracy Festival' in Glilot, north of Tel Aviv, ahead of Israel’s parliamentary election. (AFP) JERUSALEM: Liran Naaman said he spent 800 euros (nearly US$900) to fly from Amsterdam, where he has lived for the past 11 years, to his native Israel, all to vote in the Oct 27 election.

He has returned to vote in every election except during the Covid-19 pandemic, and believes this time his participation matters more than ever. "The way that our government is conducting itself is harming me personally and the rest of the Israelis abroad," the project manager told AFP.

The election is widely seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his hard-right government after nearly three years of war in Gaza, Iran and Lebanon. Polls show a tight race.

Israel is one of a handful of democracies that does not allow citizens to vote if they are abroad. The influx of overseas voters has alarmed Netanyahu's bloc, mindful of how tens of thousands of Israelis, disgruntled during his latest tenure, have left the country.

More than 50,000 Israelis are expected to travel home to cast their ballots, according to the Aid Coalition, a US-based NGO that advocates for Israeli democracy.

For Sylvie Lidgi, a dual French-Israeli national, the country stands at a crossroads between "two opposing visions of the world: either the Torah (Bible) as a constitution, or a liberal democracy".

"That's why I'm going to vote," the Parisian pensioner told AFP, noting that the last time she cast a ballot in Israel was in 1973.

Since then, she had felt it inappropriate to vote while living abroad. "But this year, it's really different," she said. "It's about values."

Crucial time' for Israel

The relationship between religion and state is also a decisive factor for Tami Giniger, a startup consultant who will fly home from Bangkok to vote.

"This is a crucial time... for defining what is Israeli, what is Judaism, how these things work together," she said.

"I do love that (Israel) is a Jewish state. But I don't think that it needs to be fanatic," she added.

The Aid Coalition has launched a non-partisan initiative, called Fly & Vote, to assist Israelis abroad who want to return for the election. The programme provides information on the location of polling stations and identification requirements.

It also helps arrange travel by purchasing seats on commercial flights and reselling them, and in some cases has chartered aircraft.

Likud, Netanyahu's party, filed a petition with Israel's Central Elections Committee in early September, accusing the initiative of electoral bribery.

Aid Coalition president Jonathan Barsade told AFP the accusation had "no foundation whatsoever" and that the NGO does not provide financial incentives.

A settlement reached last week requires the NGO to stop selling additional flights as part of the programme, while allowing previously purchased tickets to remain valid.

You need to suffer with us

While some Israelis abroad argue they should be allowed to vote at embassies, Naaman says he appreciates the requirement to return home and experience the country's reality before deciding how to vote.

"Being in Israel gives a very different perspective than being abroad," he said.

"When my family and friends come to visit (in Amsterdam), they're always afraid that Europe has fallen and that everything has become horrible in Europe," he said.

"And when I'm talking to them, I feel like (they) have Iranian missiles every Tuesday and Wednesday!" he said.

Relatives have criticised him for remaining abroad during the war while returning to vote for the country's future.

"You need to be here and suffer with us in order to gain that privilege," he said, describing their message to him.

Yet interviewees said Israeli politics continues to affect them deeply, despite the distance.

Giniger said she felt a "responsibility" to influence through her vote how "Jews and Israelis are perceived in the world today" at a time of rising antisemitism.

National elections, she argued, will shape Israel's relations with the rest of the world.

"Those alliances and the way that the world sees us are crucial to us."

Ariella Hanker, 44, a cancer research scientist in Dallas, was born in Israel to American parents. An observant Jew, she grew up in the US but has always felt strong ties to her country of birth.

After Netanyahu returned to power in 2022 and his government sought to advance a widely criticised judicial overhaul, she resolved to return for the next election.

"I don't know that my vote really will affect anything," she said. "But it's more a personal thing. I don't want to be complacent."

"I'm just really worried about the future of a strong, democratic Israel. And I don't want to blame myself for its downfall. I want to tell myself I did what I could to prevent it."