In an unprecedented show of civic engagement, tens of thousands of Israeli expats have returned to the country in recent days in order to vote. It is widely assumed that the majority support parties in the opposition.
Aya Zichel, originally from the southern town of Mitzpeh Ramon, is arriving on a flight from Lisbon, where she has been living for the past year and a half. Regarding her decision to return home to vote, she says: “I feel it’s the necessary thing to do today.”
Zichel plans to cast her ballot for the Yashar party headed by opposition frontrunner Gadi Eisenkot.
Itay Ganot returns from Portugal to Israel, to cast his vote.
Also arriving from Portugal, where he lives with his wife and daughter, is Itay Ganot, a multidisciplinary artist.
“This is a moment critical for our future, and I’ve come to do my thing,” he says, after receiving a long and warm embrace from his mother waiting in the crowd. Ganot, 50, plans to vote for the left-leaning Democrats.