Passenger data from Ben Gurion Airport show a gap between the number of travelers arriving in Israel and those leaving the country just days before the Knesset elections. Over the past two weeks, an average of approximately 32,200 passengers landed at the airport daily, compared with around 26,000 departing passengers.

Israir CEO Uri Sirkis believes the trend is being driven by Israelis returning from abroad to take part in the vote.

In a post published overnight Saturday on LinkedIn, Sirkis addressed passenger traffic at Ben Gurion Airport, writing: “In recent days, we have seen a clear trend at Ben Gurion Airport. The number of passengers arriving in Israel is greater than the number leaving the country."

He added: “Behind these figures are Israelis choosing to come to Israel - sometimes from thousands of kilometers away - to take part in the elections and exercise their democratic right to vote. This is an inspiring testament to commitment, a sense of belonging and responsibility. No matter where you are in the world, when your voice matters, you find a way home."

However, the figures do not establish how many passengers actually traveled to Israel specifically to vote. Although the gap between arrivals and departures is significant, the number of arrivals itself is not unusually high compared with previous months.

In August, for example, Ben Gurion Airport recorded an average of approximately 44,000 arriving passengers per day, while in September the figure stood at around 37,300. In both months, arrivals exceeded the current average of approximately 32,200 per day.

The most notable feature of the past two weeks’ figures, therefore, is the gap between arrivals and departures, rather than an exceptional increase in the number of passengers landing in Israel.