Polling indicated that more than 16% of these voters planned to support either Itamar Ben-Gvir’s Jewish Power party or Bezalel Smotrich’s Religious Zionism party, while nearly three-quarters described themselves as right-wing or centre-right.
Ben-Gvir, Israel’s national security minister, campaigned in Ramle, a mixed Jewish-Arab city, where young supporters gathered around him as he urged them to vote. His platform includes annexing parts of the occupied West Bank, encouraging Jewish settlement in Gaza and promoting what he calls the voluntary emigration of Palestinians. The positions have made him a polarising figure, drawing both enthusiastic support and hostility during campaign appearances.
Some young supporters said the 7 October attacks had changed how they viewed politics and security. Meir Schreiber, a 23-year-old ultra-Orthodox voter, said the attacks convinced him that peace was not possible and that Ben-Gvir represented the stronger choice. Other first-time voters remained sceptical of the government, with some saying they had only begun following politics after the attacks and questioning whether different leadership might have prevented them.
The contest was expected to be close between pro-government and anti-government blocs, making turnout among new voters potentially significant. Surveys suggested more than 80% of first-time voters intended to cast ballots, even as they expressed lower trust in democratic institutions and limited interest in demonstrations or petitions. Opposition parties responded with younger candidates, social-media campaigns and warnings that the election could affect Israel’s democratic character.
The generational shift also reflected longer-term demographic and political patterns. The result showed that younger voters were not politically uniform, but that security-focused right-wing parties had found a particularly receptive audience among a new generation entering national politics.