Dov Boris Khenin (; born 10 January 1958) is an Israeli politician, political scientist, and lawyer who served in the Knesset as a member of the Joint List. He was a member of the central committee of the Communist Party of Israel, the largest faction of the Hadash coalition. He is also an activist for socioeconomic equality and an environmentalist. Throughout his tenure in the Knesset until his resignation in 2019, Khenin was the sole Jewish member of the Knesset from the Joint List.
Early years Dov was born in 1958 in Petah Tikva to David and Shula Khenin. His father, originally from Gomel in present-day Belarus, was a leading figure in the Communist Party of Israel. His mother was a preschool teacher and Communist activist. His paternal grandfather was a Chabad hassid, and Dov was named for his paternal uncle, who was killed in the Holocaust.
As a youth, Khenin became involved in Banki, the Young Communist League of Israel. He completed his IDF service at the rank of staff sergeant. During his service, he refused to serve in the West Bank and Gaza Strip due to ideological dissent.
Khenin completed a Bachelor of Laws degree at Hebrew University of Jerusalem in 1982. He later completed a master's degree in political science.
Political career Since 1990, Khenin has been a leading member of the Israeli Communist Party. During the elections for the 16th Knesset, he held the number four spot on the Hadash-Ta'al list. At the time, the party was only about 500 votes behind in order for Khenin to be able to enter the Knesset. On January 14, 2006, Khenin placed third on the Hadash list, and was subsequently elected to the 17th Knesset.
Khenin was a member of the Internal Affairs and Environment Committee, and he also headed the Knesset’s joint committee on Environment and Health. Additionally, he served as chairman, alongside Knesset member Rabbi Michael Melchior, of the social-environmental lobby, the largest lobby in the 17th Knesset.
In the 18th Knesset, Khenin co-chaired the social-environmental caucus together with MK Nitzan Horowitz.
General positions One of Khenin's main focuses is the rights of workers. In 2014, he said, "the problem of low wages is the most critical of all. Not the price of cottage cheese and not even apartment prices". That year he initiated legislation to increase the minimum wage from 23 NIS to 30 NIS. This legislation received widespread, cross-party support, with backing from 61 of the 120 members of the 19th Knesset. In December 2014, the minimum wage for workers was raised to 27 NIS through a contract agreement between the Histadrut labor union and the Manufacturers Association of Israel. Khenin welcomed the progress, but vowed to keep pushing toward his original goal of a 30 NIS minimum wage.
Khenin also works to keep the influence of money out of politics, supporting the campaign against the privatization of Israel's natural gas resources. In 2015, Prime Minister Netanyahu's cabinet voted to allow the development of offshore natural gas harvesting in the Mediterranean sea. Khenin and other critics noted how this would give too much power to the American Nobel Energy group, as well as pose a conflict of interest for Netanyahu. In an effort to make the voting process fairer, Khenin and MK Zehava Galon asked Attorney General Yehuda Weinstein to exclude the Prime Minister from voting on the issue. Khenin also participated in the large protests in response to the deal. At a protest in Haifa, he said, "this struggle is not only an economic struggle or a social struggle. It is also a struggle for democracy. There is no democracy where capital rules.”
Khenin also supports broader ecological legislation. In 2012, he proposed setting up an "environmental court" for Israel. He envisioned a court that would watch over the country's natural resources and safeguard wildlife and ecosystems. Recognizing the municipality's lack of authority over traffic regulations, in 2008 Khenin acted to pass legislation that would have communities create their own policies. This legislation, aimed at allowing a more direct and local solution to automotive pollution problems, allows for effective public transportation changes to be implemented on a smaller scale. Khenin also battled against industrial pollution in Haifa. In 2014, he headed a subcommittee calling for stricter environmental standards on the oil refineries along Haifa's port. The panel showed a possible link between pollution from the refineries and increased risk of cancer among local residents.
In regard to past conflicts with Gaza, Khenin is clear that Israel is at fault. During Operation Protective Edge, he vehemently opposed the war, placing complete blame on Netanyahu. During the summer of 2014 Khenin spoke out against the operation in the political and social spheres. At a protest in Tel Aviv, Khenin asked a crowd of 7,000, "we must answer truthfully: Has a drop of all this bloodshed really helped bring us to a better place?”
Mayoral campaign
In 2008, Khenin was the mayoral candidate for the Ir Lekhulanu ("City for All") party. The party was supported by the Jaffa Jewish-Arab list Yafa (whose partners are Balad and Hadash) and endorsed by the Green Movement in Tel Aviv's 2008 municipal election. Khenin's platform largely focused on improving civil infrastructure, public transportation, housing, education equality, and ecology. He also ran on a concept of promoting communities within Tel Aviv, saying in an interview, "the most important thing in the city is not the streets and the buildings, but the people and the communities." Khenin lost the election with 34.3% of the vote to incumbent mayor Ron Huldai's 50.6%. Khenin vowed to continue battling Huldai's policies from the Knesset and Tel Aviv's opposition.
Legislation Khenin's legislation focuses mainly on issues pertaining to human rights, ecology, and social change. He has been forthright in his disagreement with the Israeli government's policies, speaking out against environmental, military and humanitarian issues.
Human and social rights Law for Adequate Prison Conditions – Bill to ensure adequate prison conditions that protect the health and dignity of prisoners, including medical treatment, proper care, a bed, mattress and blankets, a cabinet, suitable and healthy food, ventilation and light in the cell and daily walks in the open air. The law applies to all prisoners without distinction, including security prisoners. Transparency of Decisions of the Israel Lands Authority – Requires the Israel Lands Authority (ILA), which controls more than 90% of state-owned lands, to publish all its decisions immediately on the Internet, in order to prevent the possibility of corruption, discrimination, nepotism and the favoring of financial interests. Before the law was enacted, only 51 out of 1800 administrative decisions of the ILA were published. Prohibition of Entrance Fees to Public Parks – An amendment to the Municipalities Ordinance that prohibits local authorities from collecting entrance fees to public parks. Together with MK Moshe Gafni and MK David Azoulay. Prohibition of Attachments on Mobility Grants for the Blind – Mobility grants enabling blind people to pay for assistance for basic mobility needs (e.g. shopping at the supermarket) and integrate in society will henceforth be protected from all types of attachments. Since a significant proportion of the blind in Israel live below the poverty line, many suffer from attachments on their accounts due to debts. Together with MK Meir Sheetrit. Law for the Rights of Victims of Crime – Grants status to victims of hit-and-run crimes during the process of plea bargaining with the offender. Together with MK Zeev Bielski. Prevention of a Criminal Record for Military Offenses – such as the refusal of an order or absence without leave. In December 2010 this bill passed the preliminary reading together with a similar bill by MK Miri Regev and was sent to the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee. Relaxation of Mandatory Helmet Requirement for Cyclists – This law significantly narrows the law enacted by the 17th Knesset that made cycling without a helmet a criminal offense. Under the new law, only those engaging in interurban and extreme sports cycling as well as children and juveniles are required to wear helmets. Together with MK Shelly Yachimovich. Law of Entry to Israel (Extension of Work Permit for a Foreign Caregiver) – Enables a foreign caregiver, under certain circumstances, to remain in Israel beyond the expiration date of their work permit. Together with MK David Azoulay. Amendment to the Traffic Ordinance (Duty to Provide Information on the Pledge of a Vehicle) – Provides that when transferring ownership of a vehicle, an automatic check will be made for information about the existence of a pledge on the vehicle. Together with MK Gideon Ezra. Municipal Tax Exemption for Institutions for the Rehabilitation, Training, or Employment of Handicapped Persons – Together with the members of the Hadash faction.
Workers' rights Employees Notification Law – An amendment ensuring that employees of manpower contractors receive information about the terms of the contract under which they are employed. This law is intended to correct situations where employees are not informed of the terms that were agreed upon between the contractor and the actual employer, and to ensure that employees are informed at the start of their employment of the contractor's employment terms with the actual employer. The law requires that employees be provided with the information needed to realize their rights. Together with MK Haim Oron. Law for Amendment of the Mandatory Tenders Law (Prohibition of Discrimination Due to Age) – intended to prevent discrimination against a person in a tender process due to their age. This generally refers to discrimination against the elderly, who are at risk of prejudiced and discriminatory treatment compared to younger contenders for the tender. Together with MK Zeev Bielski. Prevention of Cyclic Dismissals – Prevents the engagement of employees under a contract for a fixed period, at the end of which they are dismissed and then rehired, in a cyclic manner, enabling employers to avoid their obligation to secure their employees' social benefits, including severance pay. Together with MK Shlomo Molla and MK Shelly Yachimovich. Prohibition on Taking Securities from Employees – Under the law, employers who take securities—checks, cash, or deposits—from their employees are subject to imprisonment or a fine. The law also applies to employees of contractors. Together with MK Shelly Yachimovich. Inclusion of Prohibition on Discrimination on the Basis of Sexual Orientation, Parenthood or Pregnancy by the Employment Service – expands the scope of the prohibitions on discrimination by the Employment Service. Together with the Women's Lobby, MK Nachman Shai and MK Afou Agbaria. Grant of Authority to the Labor Court to Extend Filing Deadlines – to allow the Labor Court to extend the deadlines for submitting court claims against the National Insurance Institute and appeals against its decisions. Until now, the law did not allow the court to extend these deadlines for any reason. Labor Laws Enforcement Law – A private member's bill adopted by the government and passed as a government bill. It contains protection mechanisms for employees of contractors, albeit thus far only in the cleaning, guarding and catering sectors. This is a further development of the Responsibility of a Purchaser of Services for the Rights of the Service Contractor's Employees, which imposes responsibility for protecting the rights of a contractor's employees not only on the contractor who is their employer but also on the institution that purchased the services. The law was prepared for the second and third reading toward the end of the 17th Knesset and gave birth to the government bill.