Hundreds of Israeli expats from the Bay Area have flown back to Israel to vote in the country's pivotal election, with many citing the need for change in the government. Ayelet Frank, a resident of Redwood City, California, was one of the first to check in for a nonstop flight from San Francisco to Tel Aviv on October 25. She left Israel in 1984 and has not voted in an election since, but says this one is different. "It's about Israel's very existence," she said.
Frank was among 271 passengers on El Al flight 48, which landed in Israel less than 24 hours before the polls opened. Many on board were part of a wave of 67,000 Israelis abroad flying home for an election widely seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The Israel Democracy Institute estimates that many voters could swing nearly two Knesset seats. Those travelers were spending thousands of dollars for the chance to cast their ballots in what many are calling the most consequential election in Israel's history.
The mood in the boarding area at the San Francisco International Airport was buoyant, with many passengers appearing to know one another and chatting excitedly. There were families with children and babies in strollers and carriers, as well as a smattering of black kippahs and one Chassidic family. Capitola resident Udi Pardo, who left Israel in 1983, said he had never tried to vote before because he didn't live there, but now it's a national emergency. "I can't not go," he said.
Pardo, like many others on the flight, is concerned about the direction of Israel's government. "Israel is on the verge of an abyss," he said, adding that he has not yet decided between Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar and Naftali Bennett's B'Yachad, both centre-right parties opposed to Netanyahu's government. The election is the first since the Hamas attack and the war that followed, and pundits say the stakes are high.
Israel does not allow absentee voting, except for diplomats and other state employees posted abroad, so expats who want to cast a ballot must do so in person. The 67,000 estimate comes from Fly & Vote, a project of the US-based America Israel Democracy Coalition to help expats navigate the logistics of participating in the election. The group cautioned that the figure is based on a voluntary August survey and its own registration data, not a count of arrivals.
The Likud-led government has tried to impede Fly & Vote's efforts with legal action, which was blocked in October by Israel's Supreme Court. Analysts say this is because Netanyahu and his allies believe that many, if not most, of those responding to Fly & Vote's initiative will vote against the current government. Indeed, that seemed to be true of most of the expats on this El Al flight from San Francisco, with many expressing support for anti-Netanyahu parties.
The surge in emigration since October 7 has also swelled the pool of Israelis abroad, with some 82,800 Israelis leaving the country in 2024, according to Israel's Central Bureau of Statistics. Experts point to the war in Gaza and opposition to Netanyahu's government as factors contributing to the emigration trend.
Key points
- 67,000 Israelis abroad are estimated to be flying home to vote in the election.
- The election is widely seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
- Israel does not allow absentee voting, except for diplomats and other state employees posted abroad.
