Poised to become Israel's youngest MK, Yonatan Shalev wants the October 7 generation to lead

In a post-October 7 reality, the needs of the younger generation – many of whom were on the ground, impacted by the devastation of the massacre, and served in the ensuing war – have become a central issue in the upcoming elections.Yonatan Shalev, 23, has aimed to bring those concerns of the younger generation to the Knesset. Expected to be placed high on former prime minister Naftali Bennett’s Together Party list after joining, he would become Israel’s youngest-ever lawmaker if he enters parliament.Shalev laid out his vision for joining the Knesset in a recent interview with The Jerusalem Post, stating that he aims to be the voice for the younger generation and help shape the country’s future in the aftermath of October 7.Together is a core party in the opposition bloc seeking to replace Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in the upcoming elections, set for October 27.“The younger generation isn’t looking to finger-point. It is looking for solutions. It is looking to live in the most promising country there is in the Middle East,” Shalev told the Post.Together party member Yonatan Shalev sits down in The Jerusalem Post studio along with political reporter Keshet Neev, July 28 2026. (credit: MARC ISRAEL SELLEM/THE JERUSALEM POST)Before entering the political realm, he co-founded Shoulder to Shoulder, an organization that represents young Israelis and reservists serving in the IDF.Who is Yonatan Shalev, reservist activist? Shalev said that the loss of his close friend in the military during the war had pushed him to found the organization. “When he was murdered, I understood that I wanted to do something big.”“I understood that it’s the time for the younger generation to shine. I really believe in the younger generation and also in young people’s innovations,” he said.The organization advocates for universal conscription and legislation to enforce haredi (ultra-Orthodox) enlistment. Shalev has been a vocal critic of the legislation advanced by Netanyahu’s coalition, which critics argue encourages draft evasion amid the IDF’s severe staffing shortage.Why Yonatan Shalev believes in young people's ability to change IsraelShalev explained that he believed putting young people in politics would lead to more solutions in the country.“Right now, there are hundreds of thousands of young Israeli Jews who are not represented in the Knesset, which is crazy,” he said, noting that the current youngest member of Knesset was nearly 40.“The generation that jumped, saved Israel, fought for [the country] over two and a half years – this is one that truly understands our needs.”Shalev explained that someone young needed to be inside the political arena and enter the Knesset “to make the right decisions in order for us to live in a promising country.”“Young people carry the world. They have invented some of the most important innovations in modern history, so why can’t the younger generation in Israel, who had to fight in order to not only keep Israel safe but to save Israel, do so?”Speaking on why he chose to join Bennett’s list, Shalev first said that the younger generation has been looking for solutions, and that he believed Bennett best represented the country’s youth.“Bennett is the youngest candidate of them all. And he was an amazing prime minister.”Shalev described the government led by Bennett as able to place the entire country in a different reality, one that is less divided.“[The country] wasn’t in flames all the time, and it wasn’t as polarized,” he noted.Bennett had served as prime minister in 2021 after forming a rotation government with Yair Lapid. His Together Party merged with Lapid’s Yesh Atid to run in the October 27 elections in an alliance that places Bennett in a leading position on the list.Shalev expressed his belief in Bennett’s ability to lead and bring together both the right-wing and the left-wing population, along with the secular and the religious, so that they can “live together in this country, which is a very difficult mission.”“He’s also a bridge between the older and younger generations. He’s in his 50s. He was the second youngest prime minister of all time.”Shalev said Bennett’s experience working with Israelis from different communities had further strengthened his ability to bridge political and social divides.“Bennett brought up this new covenant with a lot of new bills and reforms that he wants to bring in the next upcoming coalition.”Shalev added that Bennett had the ability to adapt to the times and shifting environments.“That’s what he does best. He adapts, and he’s doing it as well right now with him and Lapid working together and bringing something that I think most Israelis were looking for – this alliance,” Shalev said.Why Shalev thinks the Bennett-Lapid party can fix Israel's problemsBennett's and Lapid’s Together alliance had been polling in the past months as the largest party in the opposition bloc. In recent weeks, however, it was overtaken by the Yashar Party, led by Gadi Eisenkot. Together has, meanwhile, seen a decline in recent polls.Shalev expressed his belief that the alliance between Bennett and Lapid was still necessary and beneficial to the party.“Lapid brings with him the best parliament members in the Knesset by far,” he said.“I mean, the opposition in Israel during the war dealt with a lot of situations because no one stayed in the opposition. Most of the politicians left politics.”“Lapid is the only one who stayed in the political arena. He’s the only one who had to deal with true opposition against Netanyahu. And Lapid is a man of his word. He’s also a man who always puts Israel in front of his ego.”Further, Shalev said the party was not worried about the decline in the polls and expressed confidence in its campaign plan.“The campaign is amazing. I mean, it’s all about who’s the person best suited to fix [the problems].”“I still think the same things I thought at the beginning – that Naftali is the best person to fix Israel, the polarization, the higher prices of living, everything going on with the service dodging, and the issues surrounding the monthly stipends that the ultra-Orthodox receive.”Additionally, Shalev noted that there was still “a long way” to the elections, and that a lot could shift in the polls until then.He said that Eisenkot would “be a partner in any situation,” and that the Yashar leader offered “a lot of things that Israelis are looking for.”Shalev said he could have chosen either Bennett’s or Eisenkot’s list, but he believed deeply in the plans Bennett had set for the country.“I believe in his skill set. I believe in the person he is. I believe in the leader he is.”Shalev said Bennett had spent the past couple of years developing a comprehensive plan for the next government, with measures ready to be enacted immediately upon taking office as well as broader reforms intended for the longer term.“He’s really planning things out. There was nothing like that in the history of Israel: A prime minister, who finished his term, left the political arena, decided to come back, and for the next two years, sat down with the most important research facilities, and wrote down true reforms and how to fix Israel.”Shalev said that every party member would have a specific role in advancing the plans.He broke down the different aspects of the work that he would be doing as a member of Knesset in Bennett’s party, stating that his central focus would be to ensure that there was legislation enacted to enforce haredi conscription.“We’re going to pass a new law, which is called the service law, and we’re going to tilt the pyramid.”“We’re going to put the ones who serve first. Right now, dodging service costs Israel each year 60 billion shekels.”Shalev explained that the state would invest in those who serve, granting them state benefits for numerous areas of life.“We’re going to help the ones who didn’t buy their first apartment to purchase their first apartment.”“We’re going to make reservists equal again to anyone in society. We’re going to make them have the best and most. We’re going to we’re going to help them succeed.”Shalev added that the second core aspect of the plan would be to cut state funding entirely to those who evade service.He said that the plan also included working closely with the military and the ultra-Orthodox community to ensure haredi integration into units.What is the Together party's platform?Other plans laid out by Shalev to be done through the Together Party included conducting a state commission of inquiry into government failures on October 7. He said that this would be done immediately on Bennett’s first day in office.Larger policies that Shalev explained would be pursued included opening the possibility of civil marriage in the country.“Anyone in Israel should be allowed to marry one another ... we’re going to see how we do it and [make sure] we do it correctly.”Shalev said that Bennett would, under no circumstances, allow for a Palestinian state: “We’re not going to pass Israeli territory to anyone.”Regarding the West Bank, Shalev said that the government was currently creating tensions in the area and that the spike in Jewish settler violence was problematic.“We’re going to deter terrorism. We’re going to have settlements [according to the military’s needs],” he said. “We’re going to lower the flames over there, because right now, there is violence going on, which Jews also lead.”Shalev said he believed a government led by Bennett would also encourage Diaspora Jews to make aliyah.“This country is going to be the best. This is your home, and this is the only home we have,” Shalev said.Shalev added that under Bennett’s leadership, he would work to make Israel “the best place suited for us.”“We’re going to pivot the coalition to make the right moves in order for our generation to thrive. This country can thrive if we lead it that way.”