Posts Tagged ‘Israelis voting abroad’
A new bill concerning Israelis living abroad is to be presented in the Knesset (Israeli Parliament) this coming week. This bill, if passed, will enable expatriate Israelis to vote abroad in coming elections, and naturally there are different opinions on this subject. As far as I can gather, most citizens here (I too) are opposed to it, saying rightly that people who leave the country, who bear none of its burdens, pay no taxes, don’t serve in the army should not be the ones who decide what happens here.
The “Likud” and “Israel Beiteinu” parties are for this new law, whilst “Shas” and “Labour” oppose this bill, saying there are a huge number of ex- Israelis living in countries all over the world who no longer have any connection with Israel.The current version of the legislation, would allow any Israeli passport-holder around the world to vote. But evidently Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu wants first to consult other coelition parties about how to diminish the bill’s scope. “People who live abroad and don’t intend to come back within a reasonable period of time should not decide our fate,” Netanyahu said,”But there are people who are abroad temporarily, and they shouldn’t be punished for it. The period of time for expatriates to be allowed to be abroad while maintaining the right to vote should be four to six years, enough to allow them to obtain two academic degrees.” He also suggested that expatriates be required to visit Israel to prove their connection to the state.” Well, we’ll have to wait and see how the Knesset voting will go.
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