Tens of Thousands of Expatriates Fly to Israel for Consequential Election

POLICY WIRE — Tel Aviv, Israel — For two decades after moving from Israel to Canada, Yael Natra never considered making the trip back to vote in her native country’s elections, believing it inappropriate to participate in a political system where she no longer resided. However, confronting the rising influence of the far right, the 61-year-old concluded she had no alternative.

Ahead of Tuesday’s national vote—the first since the October 7, 2023 attacks and subsequent regional conflicts—Natra incurred thousands of dollars in expenses to travel nearly 6,000 miles from Toronto to Tel Aviv. Israeli regulations mandate that citizens vote in person domestically, maintaining narrow exceptions exclusively for diplomats and specific official representatives stationed abroad.

Natra stated she intends to support political parties opposing the current administration headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israel that she grew up in is disappearing, Natra said during an interview from Toronto, pointing to a deteriorating democratic framework and a severely fractured society, adding that if nothing changes this time, the future remains uncertain.

Organizers from the AID Coalition, a U.S.-based nonprofit organization dedicated to reinforcing Israeli democracy, project that up to 67,000 Israelis living overseas will fly in to participate in this month’s ballot. This electoral event ranks among the most critical in recent history, functioning broadly as a referendum on Netanyahu’s management of ongoing military conflicts and the hard-right trajectory adopted domestically and internationally.

Israel maintains a registry exceeding 7.3 million voters, yet pre-election polls indicate an extremely competitive contest, with historical votes frequently decided by narrow margins. While the exact impact of these returning voters remains uncertain, many liberal citizens who oppose Netanyahu have relocated abroad in recent years, implying that those making the journey back are unlikely to back him.

Mairav Zonszein, a senior analyst at the International Crisis Group think tank, noted that many Israelis who departed over the years, particularly following October 7, experience the country’s international isolation and hostility much more acutely than domestic residents, making them far more inclined to seek a change in leadership.

Data compiled for the Fly&Vote initiative by the AID Coalition indicates that approximately half of the estimated 67,000 returning voters are traveling from the United States, with others originating across Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Jonathan Barsade, president of the AID Coalition, emphasized that regardless of political affiliation, all factions view the upcoming elections as vital.

Expatriates planning their journeys from the United States, United Kingdom, and Canada conveyed to reporters a deep sense of responsibility to safeguard Israel’s democratic institutions. Hadar Susskind, a 53-year-old traveler, expressed his desire for a newly formed government to alter course in Gaza and the West Bank by halting settlement activities and associated violence in the latter while permitting reconstruction efforts in the former.

Susskind, accompanied by four U.S.-based relatives, traveled back to reaffirm Israel’s democracy, noting that the current administration deepens political divisions daily and that any incoming government must immediately reverse those policies. Dahlia Scheindlin, an American-Israeli political analyst, observed that this year’s mobilization eclipses previous cycles, though she cautioned that the ultimate distribution of these overseas votes remains difficult to predict given that some expatriates are returning to support Netanyahu.

Netanyahu’s primary challenger, Gadi Eisenkot, is a centrist politician and former military chief of staff who has committed to establishing an official state commission of inquiry to examine the intelligence failures surrounding the October 7 attacks and military operations. Eisenkot has also pledged to repair diplomatic relations with international partners.

Natra, identifying her political views as center-right, recalled voting for Netanyahu during the 1990s, but explained that his administration’s refusal to accept accountability for the security lapses leading up to October 7, coupled with his backing of the ultra-Orthodox community, alienated her support. Natra’s younger sister, 57-year-old Tamar Ichilov, cited the severe military actions in Gaza and the West Bank as her primary motivation for traveling to cast a ballot.

Ichilov asserted that the nation remains driven by a desire for retribution and destruction following the October 7 attacks, warning that these actions exacerbate global antisemitism. Expressing her perspective shortly after landing at Israel’s primary international airport, she remarked that international sentiment toward the country has deteriorated understandably.

Data from Israel’s Central Bureau of Statistics reveals that record numbers of citizens have emigrated in recent years, a migratory pattern originating in 2022 and intensifying sharply amid the conflicts and instability following October 7. Eti Wissotzky Cohen, 44, relocated to the U.K. last year alongside her husband and two children after growing deeply concerned over democratic erosion and the diminishing platform for liberal viewpoints.

Cohen noted that the initial conflict with Iran in June 2025 solidified her belief that the governing coalition would prioritize self-preservation above all else, describing the population as treated like pawns. Having flown back to vote for the center-left Democrats party, Cohen expressed her aspiration to eventually reside in Israel permanently, provided current political leadership changes.

Similarly, Zorik Nitzan affirmed his enduring attachment to the national vision despite relocating to Canada slightly over a decade ago in search of a simpler lifestyle. Nitzan scheduled his arrival days ahead of the election, viewing the event as a critical and potentially final opportunity to defeat the Netanyahu movement and redirect the country.

Reporting by Policy-Wire (PW)