90,000 Net Returnees Ahead of Ballots

Passenger traffic at Ben-Gurion Airport shifted sharply in the final week before the October 27 election.

Channel 13 reported on Sunday that figures from October 17 to October 27 show a distinct change in travel patterns. The station compared data from 2022, 2025, and 2026 to track this movement. Departures from Israel dropped significantly during the 2026 period. Approximately 245,000 passengers left the country in that window. This number was lower than the 270,000 departures recorded in 2025 and the 323,000 recorded in 2022. The decline occurred even as the number of available flights and aircraft increased compared to previous years.

Arrivals told a different story. No special airlifts were organized to bring voters home. Incoming travelers used existing commercial capacity. The number of people entering the country far exceeded the number leaving. Channel 13 calculated the net difference at more than 90,000 people in 2026. The net gap in the same period in 2025 was about 77,000.

The station estimated that 90,000 people would equal roughly two Knesset seats if all were eligible voters who cast valid ballots. However, the passenger data does not identify how many returned specifically to vote. The totals include children and foreign nationals who cannot participate in Israeli elections.

The numbers could impact the final seat distribution. Israel's electoral threshold is 3.25% of valid votes. Modest shifts in turnout might determine whether parties near that line secure seats in the next Knesset. The 120 seats are divided proportionally among parties that clear the threshold. The effect of returning voters depends on how their ballots are split among parties.

A recent Fly&Vote survey estimated that about 67,000 Israelis living abroad planned to travel to Israel to vote. That estimate was based on registration data and a voluntary survey, not confirmed arrivals. Most Israeli citizens abroad cannot vote remotely and must return to cast their ballots. The Fly&Vote initiative, run by the AID Coalition, has tried to assist them. Its activities were restricted after legal proceedings initiated by Likud.

Alon Ben-Gurion, grandson of Israel's first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, made the journey. According to Channel 13, he arrived from the United States with his family and traveled to Tiberias to vote. Interest in flying home to vote was visible in August. Organizers arranged dedicated flights from New York and Lisbon to meet demand among Israelis overseas.