Yonatan Shalev
Together ·

Yonatan Shalev

יונתן שלו

Reservist activist, Shoulder to Shoulder founder

#10 of 12 projected seats
Narrow margin
years in public service
3
issues off the party line
0 of 8

Who they are

Born in Baltimore in 2002, Shalev spent his childhood between Israel and New York and settled in Zichron Ya'akov at twelve. He went through the Rabin pre-military academy, enlisted in 2021, served in the Maglan commando unit until 2024, and has fought in Gaza and Lebanon as a reservist since. In 2023 he co-founded Katef el Katef, a movement of combat reservists campaigning for equal service across every sector.

Positions and record

Reservists: Burden-sharing and welfare for those who served in Gaza.

Draft: Broaden service across every sector.

Generation: Post-war civic activism entering politics.

Committee clash: Ejected by security guards from a January 2025 Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee hearing on the Haredi draft law after telling MK Yinon Azoulai, who has never served in the IDF, that he had no standing to weigh in on conscription policy; in Israel Hayom op-eds later that year he accused the government of overusing elite reservists rather than drafting eligible Haredi men.

Private remarks: Recordings leaked from a Together activists' conference (i24NEWS, June 15, 2026) quote him envisioning Israel helping build a Palestinian security body in Judea and Samaria as a step toward eventual agreements, calling the current Palestinian Authority "very weak" and "not a partner" -- a more measured framing than his on-air rejection of a Palestinian state. The same tape has him warning that Gadi Eisenkot's delay in joining Bennett "endangers state security" and blaming the Lapid alliance for falling poll numbers; his campaign called the wording "unsuccessful."

Where they stand

Holds the party line on every issue.

Judea & Samariaparty lineIsraeli sovereignty in Area C, autonomy in A and B
Two states / withdrawalSovereignty / annexation
Gaza & Securityparty lineFrom rounds of fighting to decisive victory
Deal & disengagementFull military control
Haredi Enlistmentparty lineA service law for all; defund refusers
Universal draftPreserve exemptions
Judiciaryparty lineBroad-consensus reform only
Court can strike lawsKnesset can override
Economyparty linePro-growth, deregulation
Social spendingFree market
Educationparty lineEnds funding for independents; only fully state-run schools qualify
State runs the schoolsParents and communities
Religion & Stateparty lineCivil and same-sex marriage, no religious coercion
Civil / pluralistReligious authority
Nation & Citizenshipparty lineBennett voted for the Nation-State Law, Lapid against
Equal citizenshipJewish national state