Young Voters Will Decide Future Elections, Says Israeli Politician

Yonatan Shilo, a 23-year-old candidate for the "Behatcha" party, believes young voters will be the deciding factor in upcoming elections. Shilo, who participated in a boxing training session as part of the "Election Players" project by "Haolam Boker," shared his perspective on youth engagement in politics. He highlighted the importance of strategizing for young voters and mentioned that he and other politicians, like Naftali Bennett, discuss this during early morning runs.

Shilo's political drive is deeply influenced by his experiences during reserve duty in the Nachal Brigade and the loss of close friends, Yonatan Deutsch and Roi Marom, during the war. This personal tragedy fuels his determination to represent the generation of soldiers in the Knesset, stating, "Ultimately, the young mandates will determine our future: either they will vote for those who evade service or for those who truly represent our generation."

His political and social views are shaped by his military service and diverse family background, which includes a grandfather who was a local Likud leader and a grandmother from the Religious Zionist movement. He also mentioned his grandmother, Professor Gabriela Shalev, a left-wing Zionist, who served as an ambassador to the UN.

On a personal note, Shilo shared his favorite song for travel is "Ma'avir Daf" by Shlomo Artzi and Nurit Galron, his preferred food is hot hummus, and he dreams of a cross-country road trip in the United States, despite being American. The political race has also taken a personal toll, with Shilo reporting death threats to the police, who identified the threats as coming from two Israeli civilians.