Israelis living abroad fly back to vote in what they believe is a pivotal election

Liran Naaman says he spent 800 euros (nearly $900) to fly from Amsterdam, where he has lived for the past 11 years, to his native Israel, all to vote in the October 27 election. He has returned to vote in every election except during the Covid 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 October 7 and nearly three years of war in Gaza, Iran and Lebanon. Polls show a tight race. Israel is one of a handful of democracies that do 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 organization that advocates for Israeli democracy. Get The Times of Israel's Daily Edition by email and never miss our top stories Newsletter email address Get it By signing up, you agree to the terms 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.” Ballot boxes are prepared for Israel’s upcoming general election at the Central Elections Committee’s logistics center near Shoham, October 14, 2026. (AP Photo/Ohad Zwigenberg) “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.” Advertisement ‘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 nonpartisan initiative, called Fly & Vote, to assist Israelis abroad who want to return for the election. The program 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. Netanyahu’s Likud party filed a petition with the Central Elections Committee in early September, accusing the initiative of electoral bribery. Advertisement A Muslim woman walks past a Likud party election campaign billboard featuring Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu alongside opposition leaders and the slogan ‘Right or Palestine,’ in East Jerusalem, October 12, 2026. (Yonatan Sindel/Flash90) Aid Coalition president Jonathan Barsade told AFP the accusation had “no foundation whatsoever” and that the group does not provide financial incentives. A settlement reached last week requires the organization to stop selling additional flights as part of the program, 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 criticized him for remaining abroad during the war while returning to vote for the country’s future. He said their message to him was: “You need to be here and suffer with us in order to gain that privilege.” Advertisement Yet interviewees said Israeli politics continues to affect them deeply, despite the distance. Workers remove an election campaign billboard featuring Finance Minister and Religious Zionism chair Bezalel Smotrich and replace it with a billboard featuring Yisrael Beitenu chair Avigdor Liberman on a hotel building in Jerusalem, ahead of Israel’s upcoming election, on October 14, 2026. (Chaim Goldberg/Flash90) 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 United States 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 criticized 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.” Help us report truthfully on social media As a multimedia journalist, my job is to take the quality, fact-based journalism produced by The Times of Israel newsroom and make it accessible across every platform — from Instagram posts to podcasts to short-form videos. This is how many, especially young people, consume news these days. But misinformation is rampant on social media. 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