Netanyahu’s party seeks to impede Israeli expat voting

JERUSALEM

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s party has petitioned the electoral commission to block initiatives aimed at helping Israelis who live abroad return to vote in upcoming close-fought elections.

Israel’s electoral law does not allow citizens residing outside the country to vote abroad, except for diplomats and emissaries sent by certain organizations. The Central Bureau of Statistics estimates there are 600,000 Israelis living abroad.

Government opponents have been working for several weeks to encourage voters to come home to cast their ballots, hoping to strengthen the anti-Netanyahu camp in elections scheduled for Oct. 27.

Initiatives include offering discounted plane tickets, assisting expatriates with the administrative procedures required to vote and organizing their transport from the airport.

Attorney Ilan Bombach, representing Netanyahu’s right-wing Likud party, filed an appeal on Sept. 16 with the chairman of the Central Elections Committee demanding an end to these practices.

The petition specifically targets the US-based AID Coalition, an organisation which says it is aimed at “strengthening and preserving the democratic foundations of the State of Israel” and is behind the “Fly&Vote” scheme.

The petition also targets the opposition Democrats party.

In his appeal, seen by AFP, Bombach likens these methods to an “electoral bribe” and argues that they violate the law on party financing.

Likud maintains that even if the passengers themselves pay for their plane tickets, the “Fly&Vote” scheme grants illicit benefits, such as discounted fares negotiated with airlines through group bookings.