Senior officials in Transportation Minister Miri Regev’s office have reportedly been discussing ways to limit the number of flights arriving at Ben Gurion Airport ahead of Israel’s October 27 election in an effort to reduce the number of overseas voters returning to support parties opposed to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, Haaretz reported.

The discussions come as several nonpartisan initiatives are working to help Israelis living abroad return home to vote. According to the report, Regev’s associates believe many of those expected to take advantage of those efforts support parties opposed to Netanyahu and could number in the tens of thousands.

Among the ideas reportedly discussed are limiting or preventing charter flights from landing at Ben Gurion Airport. According to the report, Regev’s associates also cited the continued presence of U.S. military refueling aircraft at the airport, saying they occupy parking stands that could otherwise be used by other aircraft. Parking priority at Ben Gurion is given first to Israeli airlines, followed by foreign carriers and then charter flights, which are expected to be the primary means of bringing overseas Israelis back to vote.

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