# Israeli election expat vote

News · Heat 6.6 / 10 · 7 shows · 28m airtime

Israel's national election, set for late October 2026, has no absentee voting, so Israelis abroad are flying home to cast ballots; a survey by the America-Israel Democracy Coalition puts the number at nearly 70,000, against earlier estimates of more than 60,000. Arab-Israeli turnout, which has ranged between 50% and 67%, is seen as potentially decisive, and the Arab vote accounts for eight to ten Knesset seats. Polling puts Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar first, but neither bloc can form a majority, and key opposition figures have ruled out relying on Arab party support. President Herzog gives the coalition mandate to whoever is likelier to build one. On the eve of voting, reports described a rift between Netanyahu and military chief Ayal Zamir…

Page: https://boilpoints.com/point/israeli_election_expat_vote_1674657296

## Segments

- [Up First](https://boilpoints.com/u/upfirst), 2026-10-18, 6:46 to 9:13: **Reports expatriates flying home to vote**. Reports that Israel bars absentee voting and tens of thousands of expatriates are flying back for election day, profiling two who bought tickets to vote for opposite outcomes. Frames the race around October 7 and Netanyahu's record. New angle: Israel has no absentee voting, so tens of thousands of Israelis abroad are expected to fly home for election day.
- [The Breakfast Club](https://boilpoints.com/u/thebreakfastclub), 2026-10-20, 24:32 to 27:49: **Pivots to Israeli electoral math**. Pivots from the war to Israeli electoral math: an election roughly two weeks out, Netanyahu and Eisenkot both short of a majority, and Arab-Israeli turnout swinging between 50% and 67% as the deciding variable. New angle: Arab-Israeli turnout swings between 50% and 67% and could decide the coming Israeli election.
- [WSJ What's News](https://boilpoints.com/u/wsjwhatsnews), 2026-10-26, 7:22 to 12:49: **Reports from Tel Aviv on expat turnout**. Reports from Tel Aviv on the eve of the vote: expat turnout, the Netanyahu-versus-anti-Netanyahu divide, Eisenkot's polling lead and the weeks of coalition horse trading ahead. A scene-setter with no result yet. New angle: More than 60,000 Israelis living abroad are returning to vote, and polling puts Gadi Eisenkot's Yashar first.
- [FT News Briefing](https://boilpoints.com/u/ftnewsbriefing), 2026-10-27, 4:53 to 8:48: **Interviews the correspondent on deadlock polling**. Interviews the FT's Jerusalem correspondent on the first Israeli election since October 7, 2023, laying out the two blocs' positions on Gaza, the West Bank, the judicial overhaul and military exemptions, and the polling that points to deadlock and possibly fresh elections. New angle: Polls suggest neither bloc can form a majority, and key opposition figures have ruled out relying on Arab party support.
- [Global News Podcast](https://boilpoints.com/u/globalnewspodcast), 2026-10-27, 1:31 to 8:53: **Interviews expat voters flying back to vote**. Election-day segment from Jerusalem: voters abroad describe accountability for October 7 as their reason for flying back, and the BBC's correspondent walks through the eve-of-vote row over an alleged Iran strike plan and Trump's repeated endorsement. New angle: On the eve of voting, reports described a rift between Netanyahu and military chief Ayal Zamir over an alleged plan to strike Iran.
- [The Fox News Rundown](https://boilpoints.com/u/thefoxnewsrundown), 2026-10-27, 14:14 to 17:41: **Explains the mandate step and the Arab vote**. Election-day report from Tel Aviv on the mechanics of forming a government: the president hands the mandate to whoever is likelier to build a coalition, and the Arab vote's eight to ten seats are the only path for either candidate. Adds the Herzog mandate step and the seat count. New angle: The Arab vote accounts for eight to ten Knesset seats, and President Herzog gives the coalition mandate to whoever is likelier to build one.
- [Consider This from NPR](https://boilpoints.com/u/considerthisfromnpr), 2026-10-27, 0:05 to 2:05: **Reports expats flying in to vote at Ben Gurion**. Opens election day at Ben Gurion airport, where expats arriving to vote describe the cost and urgency of the trip. A survey puts the number flying in at nearly 70,000, and Netanyahu supporters and opponents clash in the arrivals hall. New angle: A survey by the America-Israel Democracy Coalition puts the number of Israelis flying in to vote at nearly 70,000.