Moshe Ben Atar: Voting rights for overseas residents is a basic issue

Moshe Ben Atar argues that Israelis living abroad should be granted the right to vote in Knesset elections, citing examples from democratic countries that allow this. He calls for including this issue in the basic principles of the next government.

Moshe Ben Atar argues that Israelis living abroad should be granted the right to vote in Knesset elections. He notes that many Israelis were unable to vote in the last elections due to their stay outside Israel, and calls for a rethinking of the issue in light of the growth of the Israeli diaspora worldwide. The article reviews examples from democratic countries such as the United States, France, Italy, Germany, Canada, and the United Kingdom, which allow their citizens abroad to vote, sometimes with dedicated parliamentary representatives. Ben Atar claims that denying this right creates alienation, and that granting voting rights is a strategic tool for bringing Israelis closer and encouraging their return. He proposes limiting the right to a number of years and subject to an annual fee, and calls for including the issue in the basic principles of the next government. The article was written by Moshe Ben Atar, a publicist and former director at the Zionist Council in Israel.