‘Most right-wing MK’ used to be in Kadima

Elkin, Ariel, Danon top Mattot Arim list of which politicians do the most to help the causes of the nationalist camp.

By GIL STERN STERN HOFFMAN
Ze’ev Elkin 311 (photo credit: Ariel Jerzolomiski [file])
Ze’ev Elkin 311
(photo credit: Ariel Jerzolomiski [file])
The most effective rightwing MK is the Likud’s Ze’ev Elkin, who just two years ago was in Kadima, according to a biannual study, released Thursday, that examines which politicians do the most to help the causes of the nationalist camp.
Mattot Arim, a right-wing grassroots organization, compiled lists of achievements by ministers and MKs based on their work in preventing another construction freeze in Judea and Samaria, the release of terrorists from prison, and an apology to Turkey for the terrorists killed aboard the Mavi Marmara, among other things.
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The organization’s Susie Dym, who compiled the study, also gave points to MKs for legislation requiring a national referendum to relinquish land, preventing support for international boycotts of Israel and withholding a pension for fugitive former Balad MK Azmi Bishara.
Politicians gained additional points for acting to prevent the creation of a Palestinian state, and many other right-wing causes.
Elkin, who received 22 points, had an advantage over other MKs, because he holds many key positions simultaneously. A resident of the Gush Etzion community Eldad, he chairs the coalition, the Likud faction, the Land of Israel caucus and a key subcommittee of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee.
“I am proud that Mattot Arim recognized the work I do for the national camp,” Elkin said. “As a Likud MK, it is natural for me to promote the causes that my constituency believes in. I will continue to work hard and use the posts I hold in the Knesset to contribute as much as I can to maintain the interests of the State of Israel and its land.”
The top scorers after Elkin were Uri Ariel (National Union) with 17 points, Danny Danon (Likud) with 16, Michael Ben-Ari (National Union) with 14, and Yariv Levin (Likud) and Arye Eldad (National Union), both with 12.
Ariel issued a statement praising Elkin and vowing to do as much as possible to help residents of Judea and Samaria, so as to beat him in the next study in six months.
“Behind the numbers lies hard work that people see on the ground,” Ariel said, citing residents of Nazareth Illit, which he is working to make more Jewish, and Judea and Samaria, which is he is working to build up.

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The ministers recognized in the study included Education Minister Gideon Sa’ar (Likud) for removing textbooks with a hostile Palestinian narrative from the school system; Public Diplomacy Minister Yuli Edelstein for forming a hasbara website for Israel in English; and Yitzhak Aharonovitch (Israel Beiteinu) for upgrading security in Silwan and preventing official Palestinian Authority ceremonies in Jerusalem.
Female MKs fared poorly in the study, with the Likud’s Tzipi Hotovely the only woman who managed to score six points. The study was conducted before Israel Beiteinu MK Faina Kirschenbaum led Wednesday’s effort to form a parliamentary inquiry committee to probe where leftwing organizations get their funding.
The only MKs representing right-wing parties who scored no points were Intelligence Services Minister Dan Meridor of Likud; Anastasia Michaeli, Orly Levy, Moshe Matalon, Hamed Amar and Alex Miller of Israel Beiteinu; Ya’acov Litzman and Meir Porush of United Torah Judaism; and Yitzhak Vaknin, Amnon Cohen and Yitzhak Cohen of Shas.
The study found that the National Union served the Right far better than any other party, followed by Habayit Hayehudi and the Likud. Israel Beiteinu did poorly, despite the efforts of its leader, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman.
Dym said she was disappointed by the performance of many of the most senior and experienced politicians, who she said were not doing enough to serve their constituency.
“We have literally mathematically proven that in many, many cases, the right-leaning voter is getting only one-eighth or one-tenth of what he is entitled to, whereas 90 percent of his vote is literally getting thrown away,” Dym said. “This is like buying an expensive washing machine and getting a plastic bucket instead.”
She added, “We are proud to be giving voters an objective tool that allows them to see which ministers and MKs are good investments, and which may have good reputations and press write-ups, but are in fact bad investments.”