DUBAI: Ministers from the Israeli Transportation Ministry are reportedly exploring ways to limit the number of Israelis living abroad who can return to the country to vote in October’s election, according to a report by Haaretz.
Citing sources familiar with the discussions, the newspaper reported that officials are concerned that tens of thousands of expatriate Israelis could travel back to cast ballots for parties that are opposed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Senior figures in the ministry are reportedly discussing informal ways to prevent or significantly limit charter flights to Israel ahead of the election. Restricting landing slots at Israeli airports on the days leading up to the election was one option under consideration. Another allegedly involved parking spaces being limited at Ben Gurion International Airport, which already faces a shortage due to US military refueling aircraft occupying several dozen of them.
After the election was announced for October, many took to social media to post about how they intended to fly back to Israel, either by commercial airline or by group-chartered flights. Haaretz reported that several initiatives, such as Fly&Vote, have already emerged to encourage Israelis living abroad to return home to vote. Fly&Vote is a campaign launched by the AID Coalition which aims at providing Israelis with the opportunity to vote in the upcoming elections no matter where they live.
