The Likud party has issued a warning letter threatening legal action against AID Coalition over its “Fly & Vote” initiative, alleging that the program improperly offers financial and logistical benefits to Israelis living abroad to encourage them to return to Israel and cast ballots in the upcoming election.
AID Coalition rejected the accusations, saying the initiative is entirely nonpartisan and stressing that organizers “do not check political leanings.”
Attorney Ilan Bombach, representing Likud, described AID Coalition as a “foreign corporation” and accused it of operating “capital-intensive initiatives” designed to “encourage Israelis who live at the ends of the earth to come to Israel on Election Day or close to it in order to vote, by providing ‘logistical support’ that includes, among other things, chartering airplanes for that purpose, coordinating efforts to reduce the cost of airline tickets, and providing additional services or benefits — before and after their arrival in Israel.”
Likud contends that the initiative’s activities could constitute the criminal offense of election bribery and also violate Israel’s Party Financing Law by amounting to a prohibited contribution. The warning letter demanded that AID Coalition take down the initiative’s website and immediately stop providing any benefits to voters.
AID Coalition, however, says Fly & Vote primarily assists Israelis overseas with bureaucratic information, helps locate available flight options and guides participants through the process until they reach Israel.
The organization described the effort as a “nonpartisan initiative” whose sole purpose is to increase voter participation in the democratic process, regardless of which party an individual intends to support. AID Coalition argues that because it does not inquire into participants’ political preferences, its activities cannot be considered bribery or an attempt to purchase votes.
The dispute comes amid growing attention surrounding Israelis living overseas ahead of the Oct. 27 election. Since the election date was announced, social media has seen a surge of posts from Israelis abroad saying they intend to travel to Israel to vote.
The issue has fueled a broader political debate over the role of Israelis who reside outside the country but retain the right to vote. Earlier this month, Likud also petitioned the Central Elections Committee over a separate initiative offering free accommodations to voters arriving from abroad, arguing that the lodging constituted an improper benefit.
Critics of overseas voters have repeatedly voiced the argument: “You don’t live here. You don’t live here. You won’t decide for us.”
{Matzav.com}
