Political novices drawn to anti-Netanyahu protests in Israel

In a summer of protests against Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, the accusations of corruption and calls for him to resign could be accompanied by another familiar refrain: “I’ve never done this before.” The boisterous rallies have brought out a new breed of first-time protesters — young, middle-class Israelis who have little history of political activity but feel that Netanyahu’s scandal-plagued rule and his handling of the coronavirus crisis have robbed them of their futures. “It’s not only about the COVID-19 and the government’s handling of the situation,” said Shachar Oren, a 25-year-old protester.