AhlulBayt News Agency (ABNA): The return of tens of thousands of Zionists from abroad to participate in the Knesset election with the aim of preventing Benjamin Netanyahu's continued premiership has become one of the focal points of the election contest. According to estimates by the American nonprofit initiative "Fly&Vote," around 67,000 Zionists residing abroad are expected to return to the occupied territories to vote; an election being held in the shadow of the war's consequences, internal political divisions, and a close race between Netanyahu's coalition and his opponents.
A group of organizations and liberal currents, by launching campaigns, have encouraged Zionists residing abroad to return and participate in the election. Some of the returnees have explicitly declared their goal as preventing Netanyahu from remaining in power and have cited his government's performance, the consequences of the October 7, 2023 attack, and the war that followed as factors in their decision. Nadav Pollak, a former intelligence officer who immigrated to Canada last year with his family, has also accepted a travel cost of several thousand dollars to participate in the election.
He has stressed that the current government is a failed one.
The "Fly&Vote" initiative, launched with the aim of facilitating the return of Zionists residing abroad to participate in the election, faced objections from the Likud Party led by Netanyahu. This party asked the election committee to prevent the implementation of this plan. Following this objection, it was agreed that the organizers would not arrange additional flights and that ticket pricing would be left to the airlines. The organizers have stressed that this initiative is nonpartisan and legal; however, it is not clear which political camp the returnees will vote for and to what extent their presence will affect the election result.
Polls indicate an advantage for Netanyahu's opponents, but neither of the two camps considers achieving the majority needed to form a government guaranteed. To form a government, securing at least 61 seats out of the Knesset's total of 120 seats is essential. If political currents are unable to form a coalition, the political deadlock may continue and another election may lie ahead; therefore, the extent of the impact of voters returning from abroad on the balance of power remains unclear.
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