Likud demands halt to initiative flying Israelis from abroad for elections
The "Fly & Vote" initiative offers Israelis abroad a subsidy for flight tickets to Israel to exercise their right to vote. Likud claims this activity constitutes the criminal offense of election bribery and violates the Party Funding Law.
The Likud party has sent a warning letter ahead of potential legal action against the AID Coalition, which operates the "Fly & Vote" initiative, a project that subsidizes flights for Israelis abroad so they can return to vote.
The initiative offers Israelis staying overseas a subsidy for flight tickets to Israel to help them exercise their right to vote. According to Likud, this activity amounts to the criminal offense of election bribery and also constitutes a violation of the Party Funding Law, as it represents an illegal donation. The letter demands that the organization take its website offline and cease all distribution of benefits to voters.
The organization, for its part, maintains that it is a "non-partisan initiative" whose sole purpose is to encourage voting and participation in the democratic process, regardless of which party the voter intends to support. According to the organization, it does not screen voters for their political leanings, and therefore, the element of bribery or vote-buying does not exist.
