Israelis Abroad Prepare to Return Home for Crucial October Knesset Elections

With weeks remaining until the upcoming Knesset elections, tens of thousands of Israelis residing abroad are preparing to return to the country to cast their ballots on October 27. This phenomenon was the focus of a special panel at the "Anashim shel HaMedina" conference, the flagship event of Ynet and Yedioth Ahronoth. The discussion featured Yohanan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute; Yonatan Bar Sadeh, president of FLY & VOTE and the AID Coalition; and Yaron Dekel, a political commentator and former head of the Jewish Agency delegation to Canada.

Opening the panel, Bar Sadeh was asked whether the willingness of Israelis to pay significant sums to fly home and vote indicates a shift in attitude compared to previous elections. "The attitude of Israelis living abroad has always been warm, and we saw this on October 8, 2023, when people boarded planes, came back, and served in reserve duty," he said. Bar Sadeh noted that a recent survey conducted by his organization indicated that 22% of Israelis abroad view the upcoming elections as critical, reflecting the deep engagement of the broader Israeli public.

The Impact of October 7 and Diaspora Engagement

Elaborating on the motives driving Israelis abroad to return, Dekel pointed to the profound psychological impact of the ongoing conflict. "October 7 sharply heightened this sense of care. What shook Israeli society and the State of Israel from within also shook Jewish communities and Israelis abroad, regardless of whether they have lived there for four months or forty years," Dekel stated. He emphasized that the dramatic rise in the "caring index" is driving this wave of returnees for what he described as the first significant elections following the events of October 7.

The discussion also addressed the broader debate over remote voting versus the current legal requirement to cast ballots physically at polling stations in Israel. Bar Sadeh argued that the existing framework is outdated. "This suited the 1950s when the law was passed. Today, people are not leaving the country permanently; they are traveling. Realities have changed, and people are not viewed as emigrants, but as Israelis whose home just happens to be abroad at the moment," he argued, citing students and professionals who maintain active military reserve duties.

Plesner offered a nuanced perspective on behalf of the Israel Democracy Institute, distinguishing between two distinct populations among the estimated 700,000 to one million Israeli citizens living abroad. While acknowledging a supreme national interest in maintaining ties with the diaspora, Plesner cautioned against blanket voting rights. He argued that granting voting rights to those who have permanently relocated and whose center of life is no longer in Israel is inappropriate, contrasting them with Israelis temporarily abroad for studies, post-doctoral research, or extended travel.

Technological Lag and Political Implications

Addressing the mechanics of voting, Dekel remarked that Israel lags behind other democracies technologically, noting that nations worldwide utilize postal or computerized voting systems while Israel remains tied to the physical ballot box. Plesner acknowledged that solutions exist to accommodate Israelis temporarily abroad, but warned against opening the door too widely to those disconnected from the daily realities of the state, particularly regarding existential questions.

Turning to the political ramifications, Dekel noted that while the ideological distribution among Israelis abroad generally mirrors that of the domestic population, the current wave of returnees consists largely of liberals seeking to influence the political map. With polls showing the governing coalition and the opposition running neck-and-neck, Dekel observed that even one or two mandates could prove decisive in such a tightly contested race.