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

With only a matter of weeks until Israel heads to the ballot box, the sharpest political battleground is unfolding in the skies .

Tens of thousands of Israelis living abroad are reportedly booking flights home to vote - and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party is trying to keep at least some of them grounded.

On Wednesday, Likud filed a petition asking Israel’s Central Elections Committee to block “Fly & Vote,” a grassroots initiative helping Israeli expatriates fly home for election day. Likud accused it of being an illegal, foreign funded operation, claiming it could “severely harm the integrity of the election.”

In a country where razor-thin margins often decide the outcome of an election, these votes could play a major part in determining the country’s next leader.

Unlike most Western democracies in which citizens abroad can mail in a ballot, Israel doesn’t allow absentee voting; only diplomats and official envoys can vote from outside the country. Ordinary citizens abroad - up to 10% of the population at any given time - must return home or forfeit their right to vote.

Adi Ayash, an Israeli digital content creator who lives in Thailand, said there was never a question about returning to vote. “As someone who is very engaged and very worried by the reality of the (current) Israeli leadership, I feel that it is my duty,” he told CNN. “Not to exercise my democratic right because of flight costs or convenience feels to me like extreme hypocrisy.”

The October 27 vote will be the first national election after four turbulent years under Netanyahu’s right-wing, ultra-Orthodox coalition, a term which included mass protests of liberal Israelis against a judicial overhaul and the October 7 attack in 2023 which was followed by a three-year multi-front war. According to the latest polls, both Netanyahu’s coalition and his deeply fragmented opposition are falling short of the 61-seat majority needed to form a government. Likud fears an influx of Israeli expats could help the opposition parties in a close election.

“Fly & Vote” was launched by the America-Israel Democracy AID Coalition, a US-based nonprofit founded in 2023 that describes its mission as “strengthening Israel’s democratic foundations.” The group says it doesn’t pay directly for anyone’s travel but uses technology to search commercial listings for affordable, creative flight routes and group rates. It also helps with logistics like renewing passports, checking eligibility, and organizing charter flights if demand warrants or commercial options fall short. The group says more than 35,000 Israelis have registered, and internal surveys suggest over 50,000 intend to return to vote.

“Something bigger is happening here. There is an international movement from all over the world. It’s a national event,” said Batell Blaish Sultanik, co-founder of “Fly & Vote,” comparing it to the wave of citizens who returned to enlist after October 7.

“Israelis understand their vote is important,” Sultanik added. She insists the effort is nonpartisan and that no participant receives money or benefits from the group. “We do not ask or check who they are voting for behind the ballot box,” she told CNN. “It’s about the right to vote.”

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Netanyahu’s Likud party, however, disagrees. In its petition, the party says the coalition is a political body, created to channel American donations to Israeli protest groups. Likud claims it is tied to the opposition Democrats party. The group and the party deny any affiliation.

Even if participants pay for their own tickets, the Likud argues priority flight access and group discount rates are prohibited benefits that amount to election bribery under Israeli law. The petition also points to a separate AID coalition project, called “FLY AND AID,” which offers $250 gift cards for volunteering in Israel. “This is a distinctly political body attempting to influence the election system,” the petition states.

The Likud’s efforts have only increased the resolve of some Israelis to return for the election. Josh Drill, who will fly from New York with a “Fly & Vote” group, told CNN: “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.”

Ilia Yefimovich/AFP/Getty Images

The outcome of the Likud petition hinges on evidence, said Guy Lurie, a research fellow at the Israel Democracy Institute. “It depends on facts and evidence that will be presented to the Central Elections Committee. The central legal question is whether organizing flights - without directly funding - amounts to a prohibited benefit and whether Likud can substantiate its claims that the initiative amounts to a foreign legal activity,” he said.

The AID coalition insists it operates within the law and serves all Israelis abroad. “The Likud seeks to prevent Israeli citizens who boarded planes after October 7, tax-paying citizens who want to be involved in their homeland, from the right and the obligation to take part in deciding the future of the state of Israel,” the group said in a statement.

Opposition figures have raised a separate concern: Likud’s control over the Transportation Ministry and the Airport Authority, floating scenarios in which flight slots are restricted or disrupted around election day. A July report in Haaretz suggested internal ministry discussions about scaling back activities on October 27, prompting lawmakers and the Israeli Association for Civil Rights to ask the Central Election Committee to guarantee the skies remain open and flights continue uninterrupted. “Reducing the ability to travel from abroad to reach Israel to vote is a serious violation of freedom of voting and the most basic democratic mechanism,” the opposition Yesh Atid party wrote in an appeal.

Transportation Minister Miri Regev, from Likud, dismissed the report as a “gross lie.”

“I kept the skies open throughout the war,” she said in a video posted on social media. “Does anyone really think I’m going to close the skies on election day? And besides, who said that only leftists travel abroad and return on election day?”

Notably, ultra-Orthodox voters have traditionally flown home en masse - largely from New York - without similar objections, and the Likud has previously promoted legislation to enable external voting from abroad. This time is different.

Far-right Communications Minister Shomo Karhi recently said in a radio interview that Israelis abroad who wish to influence the country’s future should immigrate. “Whoever does not live here should not come just because in the name of the ‘Just Not Bibi’ – to try to replace the government,” he said.

距离以色列举行大选仅剩几周时间，最激烈的政治战场正在天空展开。

据报道，数万名居住在海外的以色列人正在预订回国投票的航班——而总理本杰明·内塔尼亚胡的利库德集团正试图阻止至少一部分人回国投票。

周三，利库德集团向以色列中央选举委员会提交请愿书，要求阻止“飞回投票”（Fly & Vote）活动。该活动是一项草根倡议，旨在帮助以色列侨民在选举日当天飞回以色列投票。利库德集团指责该活动是非法的、由外国资助的行动，并声称它可能“严重损害选举的公正性”。

在一个选举结果往往由微弱优势决定的国家，这些选票可能在决定该国下一任领导人方面发挥重要作用。

与大多数西方民主国家允许海外公民邮寄选票不同，以色列不允许缺席投票；只有外交官和官方代表才能在国外投票。普通海外公民——任何时候都可能占总人口的10%——必须返回本国，否则将丧失投票权。

居住在泰国的以色列数字内容创作者阿迪·阿亚什表示，他从未怀疑过自己是否会回国投票。“我非常关注以色列（现任）领导层的现状，也对此深感担忧，我认为这是我的责任，”他告诉CNN。“仅仅因为机票费用或个人便利就放弃我的民主权利，在我看来是极其虚伪的。”

10月27日的投票将是内塔尼亚胡领导的右翼极端正统派联盟执政四年动荡时期后的首次全国大选。这四年间，以色列经历了自由派人士大规模抗议司法改革的浪潮，以及2023年10月7日发生的恐怖袭击，随后爆发了长达三年的多线战争。根据最新民调，内塔尼亚胡的联盟及其内部严重分裂的反对派均未能获得组建政府所需的61个席位。利库德集团担心，大量以色列侨民的涌入可能会在势均力敌的选举中帮助反对党。

“飞行投票”（Fly & Vote）活动由美国-以色列民主援助联盟（America-Israel Democracy AID Coalition）发起。该联盟是一家总部位于美国的非营利组织，成立于2023年，其使命是“巩固以色列的民主基础”。该组织表示，他们不直接支付任何人的旅行费用，而是利用技术搜索商业航班信息，寻找价格实惠、富有创意的航班路线和团体票价。此外，他们还提供护照更新、资格审核等后勤支持，并在需求量大或商业航班不足时安排包机。该组织称，已有超过35,000名以色列人注册参与，内部调查显示，超过50,000人计划返回以色列投票。

“这里正在发生一件更大的事情。这是一场来自世界各地的国际运动。这是一场全国性的事件，” “飞行与投票”联合创始人巴特尔·布莱什·苏丹尼克说道，并将此比作10月7日之后公民回国应征入伍的浪潮。

苏丹尼克补充说：“以色列人明白他们的选票很重要。”她坚称这项活动不涉及党派立场，参与者不会从该组织获得任何金钱或利益。她告诉CNN：“我们不会询问或核实他们在投票箱后面投给了谁。这关乎投票权。”

内塔尼亚胡的这位新兴挑战者与他截然相反，而这或许正是他的吸引力所在。

然而，内塔尼亚胡领导的利库德集团对此持不同意见。该党在请愿书中称，该联盟是一个政治机构，其成立的目的是将美国捐款输送给以色列的抗议团体。利库德集团声称该联盟与反对党民主党有关联。但该联盟和民主党均否认存在任何关联。

即使参与者自行支付机票费用，利库德集团也认为，优先登机和团体折扣属于违反以色列法律的贿赂行为，构成选举贿赂。请愿书还指出，援助组织（AID）旗下的一个名为“飞行援助”（FLY AND AID）的项目，为在以色列做志愿者的参与者提供250美元的礼品卡。请愿书称：“这是一个明显的政治组织，试图影响选举制度。”

利库德集团的种种举措反而更加坚定了部分以色列人回国参加选举的决心。即将随“飞回投票”组织从纽约飞往以色列的乔什·德里尔告诉CNN：“任何阻挠我们行使民主投票权的企图，只会让我们更加坚定地登上飞机，投下选票，参与到这次选举中来，共同塑造以色列的未来。”

伊利亚·叶菲莫维奇/法新社/盖蒂图片社

以色列民主研究所研究员盖伊·卢里表示，利库德集团请愿的结果取决于证据。“这取决于提交给中央选举委员会的事实和证据。核心的法律问题是，在没有直接资金支持的情况下组织航班是否构成违禁利益，以及利库德集团能否证实其主张，即该举措构成境外合法活动。”

AID联盟坚称其所有行动均在法律框架内进行，服务于所有海外以色列人。该联盟在一份声明中表示：“利库德集团试图阻止10月7日之后登机的以色列公民——这些纳税公民希望参与祖国事务——享有参与决定以色列国家未来的权利和义务。”

反对派人士还提出了另一项担忧：利库德集团控制着交通部和机场管理局，他们设想在选举日前后限制或中断航班时刻。7月，《国土报》的一篇报道指出，交通部内部曾讨论缩减10月27日的活动规模，这促使议员和以色列公民权利协会要求中央选举委员会保证天空开放，航班不受影响。“限制从国外前往以色列投票的能力，是对投票自由和最基本民主机制的严重侵犯，”反对党“未来党”（Yesh Atid）在一份呼吁书中写道。

来自利库德集团的交通部长米里·雷格夫驳斥该报道为“彻头彻尾的谎言”。

“战争期间我一直保持着天空开放，”她在社交媒体上发布的一段视频中说道。“难道有人真的认为我会在选举日关闭天空吗？再说，谁说只有左派才会出国旅行，然后在选举日返回呢？”

值得注意的是，以往极端正统派选民通常会集体飞回家乡——主要来自纽约——而此前并未遇到类似的反对意见，利库德集团也曾推动立法允许境外选民投票。但这一次情况有所不同。

极右翼通讯部长肖莫·卡尔希最近在一次电台采访中表示，希望影响以色列未来的海外以色列人应该移民回国。他说：“任何不住在这里的人都不应该仅仅因为打着‘非内塔尼亚胡’的旗号就来试图取代政府。”