National Union politician ranked most right-wing MK

Ariel followed by Likud’s Elkin and Levin, and party colleague Eldad.

By LAHAV HARKOV
MK Uri Ariel (National Union) was ranked the most effective right-wing member of Knesset, according to a study rightwing NGO Mattot Arim released this week.
The organization examines politicians from right-wing parties biannually, publishing a list of MKs and their nationalist achievements in categories including “nationalist legislation” and “sovereignty and construction.”
In the most recent study, which analyzed activity from January-June of this year, Ariel ranked highest with 46 points.
Among Ariel’s achievements listed in the study were laws passed on settlement building, making Jerusalem a “national priority zone” and legislation allocating NIS 2 million towards improving cellularphone service in the West Bank.
Mattot Arim also credited Ariel with helping convince Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu to ask US President Barack Obama to commute the sentence of Israeli agent Jonathan Pollard.
Ariel was followed by coalition Chairman Ze’ev Elkin (Likud), who topped last year’s list, with 34. MKs Yariv Levin (Likud) and Arye Eldad (National Union) were next, with 27 and 24 points, respectively.
Deputy Prime Minister Moshe Ya’alon came in fifth place, with 18 points.
Although the study focused only on coalition parties, except for Independence, a number of opposition MKs were credited in Mattot Arim’s study. Kadima had 13 members mentioned, with Ronit Tirosh and Nachman Shai each appearing twice.
MK Shelly Yacimovich (Labor) was involved in passing a bill that would require special permission for state lands to be sold to foreigners.
Perhaps the most surprising inclusion in the list of nationalist achievements was MK Dov Khenin, whose Hadash party defines itself as non-Zionist, in keeping with Marxism’s anti-nationalist stance.
Khenin was instrumental in passing a bill that prevents soldiers from being listed in criminal records.
The NGO commended MKs for having 105 nationalist achievements in six months, as opposed to only 40 in the previous study.
Mattot Arim wrote at the end of the study that its purpose is to encourage “positive activity by representatives of the nationalist camp in the Knesset and the government.”
The organization hopes to increase the number of right-wing voters by publicizing politicians’ achievements.