Dr. Ben-Hay Segav Criticizes Left-Wing Effort to Import Overseas Voters to Israel
Dr. Yifat Ben-Hay Segav, former chair of Israel's Cable and Satellite Broadcasting Council and briefly head of the Second Authority for Television and Radio, sharply criticized the left-wing initiative to bring Israeli expatriates abroad to vote in Israeli elections. In an interview with Channel 7, she questioned the fairness and morality of the campaign, known as Fly&Vote, highlighting what she sees as hypocrisy in the opposition's calls for "sharing the burden" when it comes to military service but not voting rights.
Ben-Hay Segav pointed out that while expatriates legally have the right to vote, many have not lived in Israel for decades and do not share the burdens Israelis face, especially after the October 7 attacks. She emphasized that these voters did not experience the hardships Israelis endure and questioned the ethical implications of allowing them to influence Israeli elections remotely. She distinguished between those temporarily abroad for studies or business, who intend to return, and long-term expatriates unlikely to come back.
The former Labor Party activist and daughter of a Mapai family also addressed the political motivations behind the campaign, noting that most expatriates tend to lean left politically. She argued that the left-wing camp’s claim to liberalism is conditional and accused them of double standards, especially regarding military conscription debates where they demand equality but do not apply the same principle to voting rights.
Ben-Hay Segav further speculated on how the campaign would be received if a similar effort were made by the Haredi community to bring tens of thousands of ultra-Orthodox voters from global centers like Brooklyn or Belgium. She predicted it would provoke harsh demonization and negative media framing, underscoring what she sees as a lack of symmetry and fairness in Israeli political discourse.
She concluded by urging the public to critically assess the campaign and recognize the manipulation involved, stressing the importance of genuine democratic values beyond mere electoral victories.
