Netanyahu's party seeks to impede Israeli expat voting

Israel's electoral law does not allow citizens residing outside the country to vote abroad, except for diplomats and emissaries sent by certain organisations. The Central Bureau of Statistics estimates there are 600,000 Israelis living abroad.

Government opponents have been working for several weeks to encourage voters to come home to cast their ballots, hoping to strengthen the anti-Netanyahu camp in elections scheduled for October 27.

Initiatives include offering discounted plane tickets, assisting expatriates with the administrative procedures required to vote and organising their transport from the airport.

Attorney Ilan Bombach, representing Netanyahu's right-wing Likud party, filed an appeal on Wednesday with the chairman of the Central Elections Committee demanding an end to these practices.

The petition specifically targets the US-based AID Coalition, an organisation which says it is aimed at "strengthening and preserving the democratic foundations of the State of Israel" and is behind the "Fly&Vote" scheme.

The petition also targets the opposition Democrats party.

In his appeal, seen by AFP, Bombach likens these methods to an "electoral bribe" and argues that they violate the law on party financing.

Likud maintains that even if the passengers themselves pay for their plane tickets, the "Fly&Vote" scheme grants illicit benefits, such as discounted fares negotiated with airlines through group bookings.

The AID Coalition, which says it is an apolitical organisation, has not immediately responded.

On its website, the organisation describes the upcoming elections as "critical for the future of the country".

It says the law stipulating that Israelis must be physically in Israel to vote "impacts hundreds of thousands of dedicated Israelis who serve in the reserves... pay taxes, and never-endingly support Israel".

Michal Dagon from the AID Coalition recently told left-leaning daily Haaretz that the organisation aimed to help bring between 50,000 and 70,000 voters from abroad to cast their ballots.

More than 30,000 Israelis have already registered, organisers said.

According to polls, the elections are expected to be tightly contested between the bloc led by Netanyahu and that of his main rival, centrist Gadi Eisenkot.