Likud asks Israeli election commission to stop Fly&Vote

Fly&Vote says lawyers help ensure its work complies with the law

Benjamin Netanyahu’s Likud party petitioned Israel’s election commission to stop Fly&Vote, an initiative of the American nonprofit AID Coalition that helps Israeli expatriates return home to cast ballots in the Oct. 27 election. Under a settlement earlier this month, AID Coalition agreed not to organize additional flights and said it would let airlines set ticket prices. Fly&Vote says it is nonpartisan and works closely with lawyers to ensure that its work complies with the law.

The Fly&Vote operation includes around 20 full-time staff and more than 50 volunteers, coordinates with airlines and travel agencies and has organized half a dozen flights to bring voters back. “We sort of set out with a goal of at least 50,000 and people said we were crazy, and we are exceeding those numbers,” said Jonathan Barsade, president of AID Coalition, which launched the program.

Fly&Vote’s survey estimated that 67,000 Israeli expatriates were expected to return to vote. The Wall Street Journal reported that the expected influx could help swing a close race between Netanyahu and the opposition. Unlike many other Western countries, Israel requires voters to cast ballots in person, with exceptions for diplomats, emissaries and some soldiers abroad, and the rule has drawn tens of thousands of expatriates back from around the world.

The election is expected to be tight, and The Wall Street Journal described Netanyahu as fighting for his political survival. His coalition is polling neck-and-neck with opposition parties. Current polls show Israel’s fragmented opposition bloc with a slight lead. Both sides are polling short of the 61 seats they need to win a majority in the 120-seat legislature. If neither side can form a government, Netanyahu would remain caretaker prime minister until a new election is held.

It is the first election since the Hamas-led Oct. 7, 2023, attack that The Wall Street Journal said shattered Israel’s sense of security and set off three years of war around the region. Many Israelis see the vote as the most consequential in the country’s history and a fight for the country’s soul. The Wall Street Journal characterized the contest as pitting Netanyahu’s coalition of far-right, nationalist and ultraorthodox parties against a more centrist bloc built around former army chief of staff Gadi Eisenkot.

Nadav Pollak, 41, left Israel for Toronto with his wife, toddler and newborn son in July 2025 after more than two years of war and running to shelters. Direct flights from Canada have been suspended because of hostilities in the Middle East, so he paid $5,716 for three seats on a 14-hour journey with a stopover in Vienna to fly back from Toronto. He said the trip was worth it. “This government failed on so many levels,” said Pollak, the former Israeli intelligence veteran, who plans to vote against Netanyahu. “I gave this country almost 10 years in the public sector in the military. I don’t want to see Israel going on this path.”

Many expats say they plan to vote against Netanyahu, and liberal groups are spearheading efforts to bring them home. Some of those flying in took part in protests against Netanyahu’s government that drew crowds into the streets for much of his term. The Wall Street Journal reported no data on how returning expats intend to vote.

Israelis flying in to vote have posted images of their tickets for Tel Aviv and airport selfies on social media in recent days. “There were so many people coming inbound, and so few going outbound,” said Tami Giniger, who flew into Ben Gurion Airport earlier this month from Bangkok, where she relocated with her family from Israel in January 2025. “All the terminals were filled with people coming in, and I hear of people coming from all over the world,” she said.

Netzer Maoz, a 65-year-old retiree who lives in Chandler, Ariz., hasn’t voted in an Israeli election since he moved to the U.S. in 1991. He is flying back to vote against the current government and plans to cast his ballot for the Democrats, a left-leaning Zionist party. He said the Oct. 7 security failure motivated him. “I think it has to be investigated,” he said. “Nobody’s doing anything. It’s like nobody’s done anything wrong, or at least not the people at the top who are responsible for it.”

The Wall Street Journal described Netanyahu, who has served as prime minister for about 19 years across multiple terms since 1996, as deeply polarizing. His detractors say he bears responsibility for the security failure that led to the Hamas attacks, which left around 1,200 people dead and another roughly 250 taken hostage in Gaza. They also say he has undermined democratic institutions, brought extremists into his government, prolonged wars for political gain and damaged Israel’s standing abroad amid growing anger about Israel’s conduct in the Gaza war. The prime minister’s office did not respond to requests for comment. Netanyahu has repeatedly said he is fighting for Israel.

According to Fly&Vote, around half of the expats returning to vote are coming from the U.S., followed by more than a third from Europe. There is no comparable data for previous years, though organizers and inbound voters say they have rarely seen such levels of engagement. Some of those flying back to vote are doing so for the first time in years.

Israelis abroad tend to stay engaged with the country, keeping up-to-date on current affairs and visiting Israel to see family and friends. The 2023 protests against what was seen as an attempt by Netanyahu to reduce the power and independence of the judiciary mobilized overseas Israelis, and the Oct. 7 attack further intensified interest in the country’s direction.

The return of voters from abroad comes amid years of brain drain, especially among doctors, tech entrepreneurs and academics. Giniger and her husband used to live in Tel Aviv; they decided he would accept a job offer in Bangkok to give their children a breather from the years of war.

Some of those who left say they haven’t closed the door to coming back. Pollak said he thinks about bringing his children back to Israel. He also said Netanyahu and far-right ministers in his government are taking the country down the wrong path. “If Netanyahu will be voted in again now it will make the choice of staying in Canada much easier,” he said.