Israelis fly home for brief visits with a ballot to cast

With most citizens unable to vote abroad, arrivals at Ben Gurion Airport describe short trips and hopes for political change.

Channel: RTÉ News · IrelandStory of October 27, 2026Trari Newsroom

Why this story? One of RTÉ News's most watched videos since yesterday, with 9,681 views.

RTÉ News: The news division of RTÉ, Ireland's public broadcaster. 255K subscribers and 181M views.

Tens of thousands fly to Israel to vote in general election | #rtenews

Some are staying just long enough to vote. At Ben Gurion Airport, one arriving traveler describes friends flying into Israel for two days before heading abroad again, making the journey specifically to cast a ballot.

Ireland's public broadcaster Raidió Teilifís Éireann (RTÉ News) reports that tens of thousands of Israeli citizens have returned for the October 27 general election. Deputy Foreign Editor Edmund Heaphy explains the practical reason: Israel does not allow most citizens to vote from overseas.

The report, filmed the day before polling, finds travelers hoping their journeys will help bring change. One woman says the scale of the return feels unlike previous elections and expresses hope for a better future for Israel, its people and peace. Another arriving passenger says people sense a genuine opportunity for change.

But hopes for a different government do not amount to a clear electoral forecast. Heaphy reports that final opinion polls put neither Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's bloc nor the opposition, led by former army chief Gadi Eisenkot, on course for a majority.

The broadcaster describes this as Israel's first general election since the October 7, 2023 attacks. Its airport interviews capture the commitment of citizens willing to make an international round trip to take part.

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The numbers

The airport report drew about 9,700 views since yesterday.

subscribers

255,000

▲ 1,000 in the last 7 days

total views

180,624,537

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267,471

typical day: 346,971

the video

views

9,681

likes

147

comments

38

days online

1

subscribers: this channel and similar channels

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