The Battle for the Votes of Israelis Abroad

ynet reports on a growing debate ahead of the upcoming elections regarding organized flights bringing Israelis from abroad to vote, and whether this constitutes prohibited campaign financing. Yohanan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute, explains that in Israel, only those physically present in the country on election day are eligible to vote, except for public emissaries, unlike countries such as the US. He notes that there are about one million Israelis abroad and 15 million Jews worldwide, and warns of absurd situations if voting rights were eased.

ynet publishes an article about the emerging debate ahead of the upcoming elections regarding organized flights bringing Israelis from abroad to vote, and the question of whether this constitutes prohibited campaign financing. The article explains that in Israel, unlike most Western countries, only those physically present in the country on election day are eligible to vote, except for a small group of public emissaries. Yohanan Plesner, president of the Israel Democracy Institute, explains how voting from abroad works in the world and why it is right to restrict it in Israel. Plesner notes that in the US, citizens can vote almost without restriction, while in some European countries there are restrictions based on the time since departure. He adds that there are about one million Israelis abroad, including children, and that if voting rights were eased, many of the 15 million Jews abroad might become citizens just for that purpose. In his view, the weight of decisions in Israel, concerning peace and war, justifies this restriction. The article includes tags of Likud, Gadi Eisenkot, and Benjamin Netanyahu, and refers to the podcast "The Headline".