NGO: PM Netanyahu ranked least socially-minded legislator

MKs Henin, Cabel top NGO ranking; Social Guard director-general: Demands of social justice finally reached the Knesset.

By LAHAV HARKOV
Netanyahu looking determined 370 (photo credit: Emil Salman/Haaretz/pool)
Netanyahu looking determined 370
(photo credit: Emil Salman/Haaretz/pool)
MKs Dov Henin (Hadash) and Eitan Cabel (Labor) are the most active in social and economic issues, while Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu is the least, according to a ranking released on Saturday.
The Social Guard NGO, which was founded following the 2011 social protests to track the Knesset’s activities in the areas of social justice and civil rights, ranked all 120 MKs by their participation in votes and debates on those topics.
Henin tops the list with 56 points, followed by Cabel with 54 and MK Nitzan Horowitz (Meretz) with 53. Yesh Atid MKs Mickey Levy and Ruth Calderon are the highest-ranked members of the coalition, with 29 points each.
The minister with the most points, 21, is Energy and Water Minister Silvan Shalom.
Netanyahu is in last place, with minus six points. Justice Minister Tzipi Livni is second to last with minus four points.
The average amount of points for an MK is 27, up from 12 in the previous Knesset, and freshman averaged five points higher than veteran lawmakers.
“The data shows us that the social struggle finally reached the Knesset and many MKs now understand that the public demands a change in priorities,” Social Guard directorgeneral Boaz Rackoz said. “We can only hope that the same thing will happen in government offices, specifically the Finance Ministry, which chilled the winds of change like a cold shower with its new [2013-14 state] budget.”