On Wednesday, the Knesset will vote on a bill that would allow Israelis living abroad to vote in Knesset elections. And the bill, says its sponsor, National Union Chairman MK Yaakov Katz (Ketzaleh), is long overdue.
“Israel belongs to the Jewish people, wherever they are,” Ketzaleh told Israel National News, “and if it were possible, I would have all Jews vote in Israel's elections. For now, it's not possible, so we will have as many Israelis vote as possible.”
According to the proposal, any Israeli of voting age who has had a valid Israeli passport for at least ten years, would be eligible to vote in Knesset elections. The law would mostly apply to Israelis on shlichut, Zionist missions such as teaching, working for Israeli companies abroad, etc. Voting would take place at Israeli embassies and consulates abroad. Currently, only Israelis working on behalf of the government abroad – diplomats, consuls, etc. - are eligible to vote in Knesset elections.
The law was approved for legislation by the Ministerial Law Committee on Sunday, and it will come up for its first Knesset reading on Wednesday.
“Citizens of almost all western countries are able to vote when they are abroad, and that right does not expire and is not limited to a specific group of citizens,” says Ketzaleh. “If the U.S. and Britain can do it, why not Israel? And this law does not even extend voting rights to all Israelis – only those with passports that were issued within 10 years,” That provision, he said, would exclude Israelis who left to settle permanently in foreign countries – a group that is unlikely to want to vote in Israeli elections anyway.
And ensuring that votes are tendered honestly – that, for example, parties do not act against Israeli voting laws when appealing to voters abroad, given the fact that Israel will not be able to enforce its voting laws abroad – is not a problem either, Ketzaleh said. “Remember that the bill is being voted on in its first reading, so there will be plenty of opportunities for Mks to discuss potential problems and issues, which I am sure they will,” he said. “But I don't anticipate any such problems. The technology and capability to do this exist, and if we are not sure of how to implement it, there are plenty of examples we can draw on from other countries.”
And the effort is worthwhile, Ketzaleh said. “The Jewish state belongs to the entire nation, and the entire nation has a right to have a say in who its leaders are. This law will ensure that they continue to identify with Israel and support it.”
United States citizens living in Israel can vote in U.S. elections.