About 70,000 Israelis have returned or will arrive before the elections — Jerusalem Post
Ahead of the Knesset elections in Israel, about 70,000 citizens living abroad have already returned or are expected to arrive by voting day on Tuesday. Their participation could potentially affect the balance of power between political blocs if the election results are close.
There is no precise data on the number of Israelis who have already arrived or will still arrive by election day. As the Jerusalem Post reports, approximately 36,000 votes were needed to win one Knesset seat in the 2022 elections. Given population growth and an expected increase in turnout, around 38,000–39,000 votes may be needed for one seat this time.
Impact on seat distribution
The outlet notes that the political preferences of Israelis returning from abroad are not known with certainty. If, for example, 60% of them support the change bloc, this could give it at most one or one and a half seats. The final impact of this group of voters will become clear after the voting results are announced.
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Some citizens combine their trip with visiting relatives, a vacation and election day. Most stay with friends, relatives or in their own homes in Israel. At the same time, hotel chains reported increased demand for accommodation during the election period.
Growing demand for hotels
Africa Israel Hotels recorded an approximately 23% increase in hotel occupancy during election week compared with October last year. Fattal Hotels also reported more bookings, especially in the central part of the country, as well as room reservations from abroad for the election dates.
Those who came to vote include residents of the United States, Canada and Australia. At the same time, some Israelis were unable to arrive because flydubai flights were canceled after an attempted terrorist attack. Other Israeli citizens, on the contrary, will be abroad on election day and will not be able to take part in the vote.
