Israel’s Election Turnout Swells as Over 90,000 Expats Return to Vote

Approximately 90,000 Israelis living abroad have returned to the country in the days leading up to the Tuesday legislative elections. An economic daily, Calcalist, reported this figure on Sunday, citing estimates from an Israeli telecoms company that tracks user activity. The data suggests the number of arrivals could climb to 111,000 on election day. This represents an increase of roughly 94,000 people compared to typical periods in mid-October.

The telecoms company attributed the surge to voting intentions. It told Calcalist that people do not travel to Israel randomly in the middle of the month and that these are clearly individuals traveling to cast ballots. A similar estimate based on Ben Gurion Airport data from Channel 13 News confirmed that comparable numbers of Israelis arrived from abroad this month. The report noted that 90,000 valid votes could translate into approximately two seats in the 120-seat Knesset, though the total arrivals include children who are not eligible to vote.

This influx occurs amid a broader trend of emigration. Around 270,000 Israelis left the country since 2023, a movement that disproportionately affects highly educated citizens. The return of voters adds to the political tension currently surrounding Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s administration.

Netanyahu and army chief Eyal Zamir clashed on Sunday over an instruction that Zamir feared could trigger a military confrontation with Iran just days before the vote. Channel 12 News reported that Zamir challenged the order and demanded legal assurances before carrying out any military action. The report did not detail the specific instruction. Senior military officials expressed concern that the political leadership was using the Iranian issue to gain political momentum. Netanyahu and Defence Minister Israel Katz denied the report, with Katz stating on X that Israel had no intention of attacking Iran before the election.

The dispute unfolded as reports emerged that Netanyahu had spoken with US President Donald Trump about resuming a joint US-Israeli campaign against Iran. Opposition leaders reacted by accusing the prime minister of manipulating the election. Gadi Eisenkot, Netanyahu’s main challenger, warned on X: “Don’t you dare put your political interests above the security of the state.” Avigdor Lieberman of the Yisrael Beiteinu party called the alleged move treason. He told Radio 103FM on Monday that he would seek an investigation into the prime minister on charges of treason, saying Netanyahu was betraying the country by dragging it into war.

Women’s representation in the Knesset is set to decline. The women’s magazine LaIsha reported on Monday that only 31 women are expected to enter parliament in Tuesday’s elections. This figure is just over a quarter of the 120 seats. It is far below the record of 45 women who won seats after the March 2021 elections and lower than the previous Knesset, which had 35 women.

Based on recent polls, most of the 31 expected female members will come from Zionist opposition parties. The report indicated that 23 women from Gadi Eisenkot’s Yashar party, Naftali Bennett’s Together party, Lieberman’s Yisrael Beiteinu, and Yair Golan’s The Democrats are expected to be elected. In contrast, Netanyahu’s bloc, which includes Likud, Otzma Yehudit, Religious Zionism, Shas, and United Torah Judaism, is expected to send only six women. The ultra-Orthodox parties Shas and United Torah Judaism will send no women, as both permit only men to run. The Palestinian-led parties, Ra’am and the Joint List, are expected to send two women.