Israel’s ‘Generation Right’ could shape Netanyahu’s future

Let me tell you about Israel's first-time voters. Because these are the first elections in four years, they bring a high number of people who will be voting for the first time. Around 590,000, a record number, nearly 8% of the electorate. And while the global trend shows young people leaning to the left, in Israel it's quite the opposite. Young people are leaning to the right, most to the far right. And that's why they earned the title Generation Right. Young Israelis also voted strongly right in the 2022 elections, part of a trend in a society that has been shifting to the right for years. That pattern has continued, perhaps accelerated more towards the far right since October 7th attack, but not necessarily because of it. Studies indicate national security and the cost of living are the main issues for young Israelis. They rely on social media to get their news, a platform Ben-Gavir has been trying to dominate. Young voters have lived nearly all their lives in the Netanyahu era and his right-wing policies. A generation that only knows an Israel at war. They've witnessed incitement and racism, not peace and resolutions, not a leadership seeking to end the occupation, or even mention the rights of Palestinians.