"If the government were sane, we would live here": The minister's remarks against Israelis voting from abroad spark outrage

Angry reactions have followed the remarks of Minister Shlomo Karhi (Likud), who stated on Wednesday that Israelis living abroad should not come to vote in the elections in Israel.

"Many people left the country due to political circumstances. To say 'because we don't live in the country, we have no right to vote' is ridiculous because our identity is Israeli," said Lilach Shani, who lives with her husband and two children in New York.

In an interview with Radio 103FM, Karhi was asked why Israel does not allow its citizens to vote from abroad, as many other nations do. He replied: "I believe that whoever lives in the country should influence its future. Whoever does not live in the country is welcome to make Aliyah. Every Jew is entitled to make Aliyah to Israel, to influence it, and to build it." Karhi added: "The left is trying to bring in masses from abroad now. Whoever does not live here should not come just to try and replace the government based on an 'anyone but Bibi' agenda."

Lilach Shani responded: "We are all ultimately citizens of the country. Even today, when asked what I am first—American or Israeli—I define myself as Israeli before anything else. The question of whether we will return is always in the air; I visit Israel every year and will come to vote in the upcoming elections. Would I want my children to return to Israel today? No. But I want to do my part to change the situation."

Anat Ron Kendel, an Israeli living in Oxford, England, since 1994, who witnessed her father, the late Shlomo Ron, being murdered during the Hamas attack on October 7th while he was visiting Nahal Oz, responded with harsh words:

"It is not just those who live; it is also those who died. My father, my grandmother, and my grandfather gave their lives so that there would be a state. I ask that he have a little respect for those who established the state, sacrificed for it, and caused its prosperity. Since October 7th, I feel that Israel is like a Mamad (safe room) in the world. The basis of Zionism is that Israel is a refuge for Jews, and therefore, like any citizen who can, I have a responsibility to influence and, from my perspective, to save the country."

Ron Kendel added: "Israel is not a country one leaves; as an Israeli, I am always connected to it and always want to return. Such remarks show how much he and his coalition colleagues fail to understand this complexity and the deep connection people have regardless of where they are. Minister Karhi also needs to understand that we are absorbing the consequences of the government's decisions. Everyone who has been in office for the last three years should not be there after October 7th. I would expect a little shame from Karhi. In England, this would not happen; leaders here have integrity."

Karen Ch., who lives in Portugal and has already purchased tickets to return to Israel to vote, said angrily: "Mr. Karhi needs to understand that in every other country, citizens can vote at the consulate; Israel is the only one that does not allow this. Perhaps if the government in Israel were sane and humane, we would live in Israel. But for years, the government has been criminal, and that is the reason I left the country I love so much."