He served as a platoon leader and as an executive officer in the paratroopers,[1] and took part in various raids against PLO camps in Lebanon.

[5] Prior to the 2013 Knesset elections Shelah joined the new Yesh Atid party, and was placed sixth on its list.

[10] He has criticized Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu for his handling of the virus and has called him "morally rotten.

[11] Shelah also condemned Netanyahu for suggesting that the majority Israeli Arab Joint List is illegitimate and should not be countered in determining the next government, likening Netanyahu's stance to Kahanism and calling it "an official declaration of war on the Jewish and democratic state.

[13] In December 2020, Shelah announced that he would leave Yesh Atid to establish his own political party,[14] which was named Tnufa (Momentum).