Israeli Expats Returning Home To Vote. Their Goal? To Remove Netanyahu

Thousands of Israelis are flying back to the country to vote in the general election on Tuesday.

Seen as the most consequential election in years, the polls pit Prime Minister Benjamin Neanyahu's far-right, nationalist and ultra-orthodox coalition against a more centrist bloc backing former army chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot.

The fight is expected to be a close one, and many expats are planning to vote against Netanyahu, the Wall Street Journal reported.

Unlike many Western countries, Israel requires voters to cast ballots in person. Diplomats, emissaries, and some soldiers abroad are exempted from the rule.

About 67,000 Israeli expatriates are expected to return to vote in the election, according to a survey by Fly&Vote, an initiative by an American nonprofit to help Israelis get home to vote.

The bloc could help swing a close race.

Israeli Expats To Vote Against Netanyahu?

The polls on Tuesday are the first since the October 7, 2023, attack, followed by Benjamin Netanyahu's onslaught, killing roughly 75,000 Palestinians and internally displacing the entire population of Gaza.

While there is no data on how the returning expats are planning to vote, many told the WSJ that they would cast their ballot against Netanyahu.

Some flying in to vote took part in the protests against Netanyahu that became a mainstay for much of his term.

Netanyahu's detractors blame him for the October 7 attacks. They also allege that he has undermined democratic institutions, prolonged wars for political gain, and damaged Israel's international standing due to its conduct in the war in Gaza.

Netanyahu has claimed that he is working for Israel.

His Likud party had earlier asked the election commission to stop the Fly&Vote program.

Israel Elections 2026

All 120 seats in the Knesset, Israel's parliament, are up for election.

Opinion polls suggest that both Netanyahu's coalition and the opposition bloc may fall short of the 61 seats needed to get a majority.

The system of proportional representation in the parliament means that parties must negotiate alliances to secure a governing majority, Al Jazeera reported. No single party has got an outright majority of 61 seats.

If both parties fail to form the government, Netanyahu will remain the caretaker prime minister until new elections are held.