Returning from abroad to vote? Arkia CEO: "I don't see a rush to the polls"

A week before the elections for the 26th Knesset, social media is filled with posts of Israelis returning from abroad to vote. However, Arkia CEO Oz Berlovitz says in an interview that flights are not full and many pre-organized flights have been canceled: "I don't see a rush to the polls."

A week before the elections for the 26th Knesset, social media is filled with posts of Israelis returning from abroad to vote. In contrast, Arkia CEO Oz Berlovitz said in an interview with 103FM that flights are not full and many pre-organized flights have been canceled. "I don't see a rush to the polls," he said. However, social media continues to feature posts from Israelis returning to vote, including a description of a flight from Newark where the captain greeted passengers for their participation in democracy. In August, the Likud party threatened to petition the Election Committee against the Fly&Vote initiative, which aimed to help Israelis abroad come to vote, claiming it violated election laws. The petition ended with an agreement that the initiatives would not subsidize flight tickets. In July, the Association for Civil Rights demanded the removal of barriers preventing Israelis abroad from exercising their voting rights, following reports of intentions within the Transportation Ministry to thwart charter flights for political reasons.