The battle heating up between Knesset members Itzik Shmuli and Stav Shaffir not only has to bear on the July 2 primary to lead the Labor Party but also on the much broader question of who will lead the next generation of the party.

Shmuli, 39, and Shaffir, 34, started their political paths in the summer of 2011 during the social protests. They were the prominent and outspoken leaders alongside Daphni Leef, the undisputed star of the protests who chose to stay out of politics. The protests over the cost of living and housing, considered until today the broadest and longest popular awakening in the history of the State of Israel, made Shmuli and Shaffir known to every household. They spoke, protested and were interviewed from the tent city that was created in Tel Aviv. The protests changed political discourse, which focused more on social welfare issues, and carried the two of them into the Knesset in 2013 as part of the Labor Party. They symbolized freshness, a fighting spirit and a sense of change in the party, which was then led by Shelly Yachimovich, who focused its agenda on social and economic issues.

Shmuli and Shaffir are branded as legislators focused on social issues. They regularly receive high marks on measures that look at the achievements of Knesset members on social justice. However, they were never close friends, and in their work in the Knesset they haven’t been known for cooperating with each other. In fact, there has been covert competition and constant tension between them.