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Israelis abroad want airline discounts on election day

Hundreds of ex-pats intend to visit Israel to vote; some use social media to band together in request for discounts so they can affect their country's fate.

Many Israelis who live abroad intend to travel home on election day and hope that airlines lower their prices to make it easier for them to fulfill their civic duty.

 

 

The exact number of these ex-pats is not known, but it's estimated that 10 percent of those with the right to vote live outside the country.

 

Photo: AFP
Photo: AFP

 

"I'm Israeli, and think that voting is not just my democratic right, but also my moral obligation," said Lior Linevich, 25, originally from Ra'anana, who studies film in London. "An Israeli remains Israeli, no matter how far he travels. I preferred to get some distance for a few years, but to continue fighting for my country, so I can return to a more functional and equitable state."

 

Yoav Zuz, 29, originally from Tel Aviv, moved to New York for his studies. "It's important for me to vote because I feel that these elections are particularly critical, and I can't just be one of those complainers," he said.

 

He said the trip to Israel would cost around $1,200. "I'm angry about paying for it. There's no justification for the state not allowing Israeli who are abroad for a short amount of time to vote. It's absurd that they don't let you vote at the consulate."

 

Last week, a Facebook group was launched with the title "Israelis Abroad Coming to Vote" in an effort to organize discounted flights for Israelis on election day. The group is run by Amos Geva, 28, who lives in Paris and frequently travels to Stuttgart for school.

 

"The purpose of the group is to affect the fate of the country," he said, adding that he decided to start the group immediately after hearing about the early elections. "I decided to check prices for plane tickets, and a moment before purchasing a ticket I realized that there must be thousands like me. Why not try to band together?" He stressed that he is not affiliated with any party. "I'm just an Israeli who cares about his country and its fate."

 

Shira Revach Gover, 30, a wife and mother of two, lives in Pretoria, South Africa. "I've lived here for the last six years with my husband, a South African Jew. In the last two elections I made sure to come to Israel and vote, and I want to come this time as well," she said. She noted that the flight would cost at least $1,000 per person. 

 

"We deserve to get discounted tickets. If I don't vote, what right will I have to complain about the situation in Israel? When you live abroad, you feel an even stronger need to vote, because you want there to be a good place you can return to."

 

 


פרסום ראשון: 12.11.14, 19:29
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