Young Israelis preparing to vote in parliamentary elections on Tuesday are leaning further to the right than their elders, with some drawn to the far right and its focus on security. In Rehovot, a city whose results tend to mirror the national vote, RFI met a generation shaped by the attacks of 7 October, 2023 and three years of war.
Some 600,000 Israelis will be eligible to vote for the first time at Tuesday's election, and a September poll of Jewish first-time voters in the country aged 18-22 found that 74 percent identified as right-wing or centre-right voters, compared with 67 percent of the wider Jewish adult population.
The election will determine the 120 members of the Knesset, Israel’s parliament. Voters choose a party rather than individual candidates, with seats distributed in proportion to each party’s share of the vote.
No single party has ever won a majority, so parties must team up to govern.
In Rehovot, a city of 140,000 people near Tel Aviv whose election results tend to mirror those of the country as a whole, RFI met young people preparing to cast their ballots.
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'It’s about security'
Shahar, an 18-year-old who works at a local shopping centre, is considering Netanyahu, widely known as Bibi, or far-right politician Itamar Ben-Gvir, Israel's national security minister and leader of the Otzma Yehudit (Jewish Power) party.
“The most logical choice for me would be either Bibi or Ben-Gvir. And right now, I’m leaning towards Ben-Gvir,” she told RFI.
Shahar’s 18-year-old colleague Noa is also looking to the right or far right. “Probably the right. Ben-Gvir, Bibi or something like that. What matters to me? That it’s a right-wing country, a Jewish country."
Sitting at a café table is Rei, 21, who is currently doing his military service, which is compulsory for all Jewish citizens, male and female. Exemptions for ultra-Orthodox religious students have become a major political issue.
“It’s the first time I’m voting and I’m torn... I’ll probably vote for the right-wing bloc, for Ben-Gvir. With him, it’s about security,” Rei said.
One measure that appeals to him is a law passed by Israel’s parliament in March making death the default sentence in military courts for Palestinians convicted of carrying out deadly attacks against Israelis.
Ben-Gvir was a leading supporter of the measure.
“There’s the law on the death penalty for terrorists,” Rei said. “Laws that will protect the state and make it safer.”
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'We need change'
These young Israelis belong to a generation marked by the attack on Israel by the Palestinian militant group Hamas on 7 October, 2023 and the three years of war that followed.
But that experience has not shaped the political views of everyone RFI spoke to in the same way.
Amit, 26, is studying to become a vet and will vote centre right in order to oppose the current governing coalition.
“I’m thinking of voting for [Gadi] Eisenkot. If the current government is re-elected, we’re heading for serious problems in our country. For example, everyone wants the death penalty. I think that’s stupid because it’s racist.”
Eisenkot, a former Israeli army chief and one of Netanyahu’s main election rivals, founded the centrist Yashar party in 2025.
But it is Naftali Bennett, a liberal right-wing politician from the anti-Netanyahu camp, who tops voting intentions among young people. A former prime minister, he is running alongside opposition leader Yair Lapid on the Beyachad ("Together") list.
Rotem, 18, is torn between the two.
“I’m somewhere between Bennett and Eisenkot. I can’t decide. I come from a family where my parents vote Likud, Ben-Gvir and all that. But those extremes aren’t really my thing."
Netanyahu has been at the helm for much of these young people’s lives. He served continuously as prime minister from 2009 until 2021, before returning to power in late 2022. His Likud party leads the current governing coalition.
“I also think we need change. Bibi has been prime minister since I was born. That’s a long time,” Rotem said.
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'We want peace'
This desire for change extends to the left too, although it is a minority view among the young voters RFI met. Sharon, a student and army reservist, plans to vote for the Democrats.
“I’m going to vote for the Democrats because it’s important to me to strengthen the bloc for change,” Sharon said. “I want to support a party that will take every necessary step to form a government that isn’t led by Netanyahu, one that can build a better future for this country.”
Led by former deputy army chief Yair Golan, the Democrats bring together the centre-left Labor Party and left-wing Meretz.
All the young people RFI spoke to agreed that abstaining was not an option. Among them was Yasmine, a 22-year-old Palestinian citizen of Israel.
“We need everyone’s votes this time. We don’t want racists. That’s why I’m going to vote for the United Arab List. We want peace," she said.
Also known as Ra’am, the United Arab List is a conservative Islamist party led by Mansour Abbas.
Among the very religious young Jewish people RFI encountered, voting choices were more firmly established – with voters saying they would follow the guidance of their rabbis.
This article was adapted from the original version in French by Frédérique Misslin.