Israeli expats fly home to vote in pivotal election

Tens of thousands of Israelis living abroad are expected to fly into Israel for Tuesday's election, which is widely seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's handling of the wars and his government's hard-right turn. The vote is the first since the 2023 Hamas-led attacks. AID Coalition, a U.S.-based nonprofit, estimates up to 67,000 expatriates will return, with about half coming from the United States. Many liberal Israelis who left the country in recent years are returning to vote against Netanyahu, citing concerns about eroding democracy, the Oct. 7 failures, and actions in Gaza and the West Bank. Israeli law generally requires in-person voting, with narrow exceptions for diplomats. The election follows a record number of Israelis moving abroad since 2022, and some returning voters say they hope to eventually move back if the government changes.