Israeli expats fly home to vote in pivotal election

Tens of thousands of Israeli citizens abroad, including hundreds from Australia, are flying home to vote in an election widely seen as a referendum on Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's leadership following Hamas's October 7 attacks. Polls suggest his main challenger, former military chief Gadi Eisenkot, could unseat him. Ballots can only be cast in person on election day, prompting global mobilization by activists. The US-based AID Coalition estimates up to 67,000 expatriates are returning, with about half from the United States and others from Europe, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. Recent polls put Eisenkot's Yashar party slightly ahead of Netanyahu's Likud. Israeli expats like Anat Dror from Melbourne and Guy Marom from Sydney are making costly trips to vote, citing a sense of duty to their homeland. Dror said she distrusts individual politicians but supports the anti-Netanyahu "change" bloc, while Marom believes Netanyahu contributes to national division.