With Israel’s Knesset elections scheduled for Tuesday, October 27, tens of thousands of Israelis living or traveling overseas are making their way back to the country to cast their ballots, in an unusual election-season travel rush that has prompted special flight arrangements, expensive last-minute bookings, and political controversy.

Estimates circulating ahead of the election suggest that approximately 50,000 Israelis abroad may return specifically to participate in the vote, although that figure is a projection rather than a confirmed count of travelers.

Unlike Americans, who can generally vote by absentee ballot while living overseas, most Israeli citizens must be physically present in Israel to participate in national elections. Israeli law provides limited exceptions for certain official representatives stationed abroad, but ordinary citizens living or vacationing overseas generally cannot cast their ballots from another country.

That requirement has created a significant logistical challenge for Israelis determined to participate in an election that could determine whether Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu remains in office or an opposition coalition takes power.

For Israelis residing in the United States, Europe, and other countries, voting requires more than simply registering or mailing a ballot. They must arrange transportation to Israel, reach their assigned polling stations on Election Day, and, in many cases, return overseas shortly afterward.

The resulting demand has generated interest in special flights and organized travel initiatives intended to bring eligible voters home before polling stations open Tuesday morning.

The arrangements have also attracted political attention because the arrival of large numbers of voters from overseas could have an impact in a closely contested election, particularly if those travelers are concentrated among supporters of particular parties.

A fresh survey released by Fly&Vote on Thursday has raised the estimated number of returning voters to approximately 67,000, up from the 53,000 projected earlier this month. The updated figure suggests that interest in traveling to Israel for the election has continued to grow as Election Day approaches.

The survey, conducted between October 12 and October 21, included approximately 23,000 Israelis living abroad. Of those surveyed, 79.6 percent said they intended to travel to Israel to vote. The figures reflect the responses of participants in the initiative’s survey and should not be understood as a confirmed count of people who will ultimately arrive.

The organization behind the effort, the American-based AID Coalition, operates an initiative known as Fly&Vote, which helps Israelis overseas identify flights and arrange their return to Israel.

The organization describes itself as nonpartisan and maintains that its purpose is to encourage Israeli citizens to exercise their voting rights, regardless of which political party they support.

Nevertheless, the initiative became the subject of a legal challenge from Netanyahu’s Likud party, which argued that certain forms of assistance provided to overseas voters could violate Israeli election laws.

Likud attorney Ilan Bombach contended that the organization was effectively providing benefits to potential voters through coordinated flight arrangements and related logistical services.

The dispute was heard by Supreme Court Justice Noam Sohlberg, chairman of the Central Elections Committee, on October 6.

Following the hearing, the parties reached a compromise under which Likud withdrew its petition and Fly&Vote agreed to several restrictions on its activities.

Under the agreement, the initiative may not subsidize airfare, provide discounted tickets, arrange free transportation or accommodations, or organize additional flights beyond the six that had already been advertised.

Tickets for those flights must be sold at regular market prices established by the airlines.

The organization also agreed to pay 10,000 shekels toward Likud’s legal expenses.

The settlement allows Fly&Vote to continue providing information about flights, travel documentation, and other logistical matters, provided that its assistance does not constitute a financial benefit to voters.

The organization may also operate informational WhatsApp groups and offer general legal assistance to travelers.

According to information presented during the proceedings, approximately 500 to 600 people were receiving direct assistance through the initiative’s organized flight arrangements, substantially fewer than the tens of thousands estimated to be returning independently.

The distinction is important because the projected 67,000 returning voters are not all passengers on flights organized by Fly&Vote. Most are expected to make their own travel arrangements through commercial airlines.

AID Coalition president Yonatan Bar-Sadeh defended the initiative following the legal proceedings.

“The data clearly show that Israelis living abroad are still Israelis first and foremost – involved and caring, not only in words but also in actions,” he said.

“Fly&Vote will continue working to reduce and remove the obstacles on their way to the ballot box, and to enable every Israeli citizen, woman and man, to exercise their basic right to vote.”

The election-related travel has also generated debate over whether Israelis who have established permanent lives overseas should participate in determining the government that will govern citizens living in Israel.

Supporters of overseas voting argue that Israeli citizenship carries the right to participate in national elections, regardless of where an individual currently resides.

Critics contend that people who live permanently outside Israel do not necessarily bear the same consequences of government decisions concerning military service, taxation, security, and other domestic matters.

The debate became particularly heated after Makor Rishon editor-in-chief Kalman Libeskind questioned whether Israelis who have permanently relocated abroad should return solely to influence the election.

Others rejected that argument, pointing out that Israeli citizens remain legally entitled to vote when physically present in the country, regardless of how long they have lived overseas.

The political implications have added another dimension to the controversy.

Likud officials have expressed concern that many Israelis returning from overseas may support parties seeking to replace Netanyahu.

The Fly&Vote initiative, however, maintains that it does not inquire about travelers’ political preferences and does not endorse any party or candidate.

There is no reliable basis for assuming that every returning voter will support the opposition, and the precise political preferences of those making the journey remain unknown.

Still, the numbers could prove significant in a closely contested election.

The latest estimate of approximately 67,000 returning voters represents a potential voting bloc large enough to affect the allocation of Knesset seats, particularly if the election produces a narrow margin between the competing political camps.

The Jerusalem Post reported that the estimated number of returning voters is roughly equivalent to 1.7 Knesset seats, although the actual electoral impact will depend on how many travelers vote and which parties receive their ballots.

The travel effort has attracted considerable participation from Israelis living in the United States.

Earlier reports indicated that approximately half of those who initially registered interest in returning were based in America, with additional participants residing in Britain, France, Canada, the Netherlands, Switzerland, Australia, and other countries.

Some travelers have reportedly spent thousands of dollars on airfare and accommodations to participate in the election.

Earlier in the campaign, Fly&Vote advertised a direct round-trip flight from New York to Tel Aviv for approximately $1,800, while a round-trip flight from Lisbon was offered for approximately $580.

Those advertised fares illustrate the financial commitment required of voters who must cross international borders to participate.

For some Israelis, the expense has been compounded by the need to take time away from work, arrange childcare, or travel long distances to reach an airport offering flights to Israel.

A previous Fly&Vote survey identified airfare costs as the most frequently cited obstacle to returning, followed by limited flight availability and concerns about the security situation.

The organization’s September survey, which included approximately 17,500 Israelis overseas, found that 72 percent of respondents intended to return for the election and 58 percent reported that they had already purchased tickets or completed their travel arrangements.

The newer survey indicates that the proportion expressing an intention to return has increased.

The legal controversy surrounding the initiative has not prevented Israelis from independently purchasing airline tickets and traveling home to vote.

Nor does the agreement with Likud impose restrictions on the number of Israeli citizens who may enter the country before Election Day.

The dispute concerned the assistance provided by the organization, rather than the voting rights of returning citizens.

For voters arriving in Israel, the remaining requirement is to cast their ballots at the appropriate polling locations on Tuesday.

Israel’s election system does not permit most citizens to vote at an airport simply because they have arrived from overseas. They must generally reach the polling station where they are registered.