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Last update - 09:06 20/07/2007
Report: 19 Israeli families control one-third of the economy
By Ora Coren, Haaretz Correspondent

The total income of the nineteen richest families in Israel was NIS 248 billion for 2006, or one third of the revenues of the 500 leading Israeli companies, according to the Concentration Index published Thursday.

The annual income of the 19 families is equal to 88 percent of the state budget or 54 percent of the business sector's share of GDP.

Cellcom mogul Nohi Dankner topped the list for the second consecutive year, increasing his revenues by 15 percent over 2005.
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According to the Concentration Index, Dankner now takes in 18.7 percent of the revenues of the 19 families who exercise the greatest control over the Israeli economy. In comparison, Sami and Yuli Ofer, who follow Dankner on the list, "only" make 12.8 percent of the total revenues of these families.

The top five families on the list, including Yitzhak Tshuva, David Weissman and Haim Saban, control 61 percent of the income of these 19 families - up from 54 percent in 2005.

Others on the list include Shari Arison, Zadik Bino, Lev Leviev, David Azrieli and Eliezer Fishman.

The Concentration Index measures the wealth of families who control companies that affect all aspects of the lives of regular citizens. The index does not only measure wealth, but the effect of these companies on those lives. The index also does not take into account the family's share of ownership in the companies, but only the total income of the firms.

Compared to 2005, only five families increased their income. Tshuva almost doubled his after buying the Phoenix insurance company from the Shachar and Kaz families, while Bino saw his income grow 46 percent by buying the Ashdod Oil Refineries.

The Shachar-Kaz families saw the greatest drop in influence, 66 percent, after selling off the Phoenix.

The new additions to the list in 2006 were real estate magnate David Azrieli and Shaul Elovitch. The surprise is that the Wertheimer family, Stef and Eitan, dropped off the list after the sale of Iscar to Warren Buffett.
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  1.   And what are they doing for Israel? 22:07  |  paul 19/07/07
  2.   INSTEAD OF GOING AFTER THE HAREDIM 22:56  |  ALBERT 19/07/07
  3.   None of our business 23:00  |  Ronn 19/07/07
  4.   truma 23:01  |  lets talk 19/07/07
  5.   How nice..Israel is turning into a mini fiefdom 23:03  |  celloist 19/07/07
  6.   LavyThey Hoard it 23:06  |  Lavy 19/07/07
  7.   Like America, feudalism is back 23:09  |  Mark Klein, M.D. 19/07/07
  8.   It is called capitalism 23:15  |  Capitalist 19/07/07
  9.   can you say: mafia 23:25  |  son of yaffa 19/07/07
  10.   Much better than the government and Histadrut 23:26  |  Meir 19/07/07
  11.   Not income but turnover 23:32  |  Meir 19/07/07
  12.   #1 - The answer is NO 23:41  |  Dov 19/07/07
  13.   Im just as happy with my $45M as I was when I had $8M 23:46  |  A Millionaire 19/07/07
  14.   The Israeli Slave In The Promised Land 23:52  |  Raoul Isaac 19/07/07
  15.   Like most countries..... 00:00  |  Avrum 20/07/07
  16.   19 Families 00:07  |  Harry 20/07/07
  17.   How much TAX are they paying?? 00:09  |  Vogel 20/07/07
  18.   the land 00:33  |  wh 20/07/07
  19.   It`s the Same All Over 00:39  |  J Olson 20/07/07
  20.   modern day feudalism 00:41  |  paul 20/07/07
  21.   19 Control 00:46  |  Steve 20/07/07
  22.   Capitalist - Yes, that is what is wrong with Capitalism 00:47  |  Socialist 20/07/07
  23.   7 days & 7 Nights 00:53  |  Naive 20/07/07
  24.   sweet Jesus 01:02  |  Paul Freedman 20/07/07
  25.   #19: that would be the Jews? 01:04  |  Paul Freedman 20/07/07
  26.   #21: learn and learn alike 01:12  |  Paul Freedman 20/07/07
  27.   Bunch of haters 01:31  |  Boss Hog 20/07/07
  28.   Herzl Would be Happy? 01:33  |  Yoram 20/07/07
  29.   And let me guess 02:12  |  Mark Lincoln 20/07/07
  30.   hey way to go Israel!! 02:17  |  Danite 20/07/07
  31.   Failed capitalism no different than failed communism 02:50  |  Pablo B 20/07/07
  32.   Neo Feudalism 03:07  |  Mikeber 20/07/07
  33.   19 Israeli families control one-third of the economy 03:07  |  David Schwartz 20/07/07
  34.   so why Israel needs handout of 4 US $billon/per year? 03:25  |  nobodysacred 20/07/07
  35.   Cycles of Stagnation, Bolshevism is Not the Answer 03:51  |  Efox 20/07/07
  36.   greed 03:54  |  maurice grima 20/07/07
  37.   re: nobodysacred 04:01  |  Efox 20/07/07
  38.   Capitalism - the consuming, destroying... 04:15  |  Maureen Ann 20/07/07
  39.   re: Vogel 04:16  |  Efox 20/07/07
  40.   what does their investment portfolio look like? 04:39  |  George 20/07/07
  41.   Ya see! Jews control everything! :o) 04:51  |  Murray of Montreal 20/07/07
  42.   Ora Coren article on distribution of income 04:54  |  Dr. Bernardo Benes 20/07/07
  43.   19 Families control one-third of the economy 05:01  |  Dr. Bernardo Benes 20/07/07
  44.   like... 05:39  |  ravi 20/07/07
  45.   Can you give me a helping hand (full of money) 06:02  |  Good Man 20/07/07
  46.   idiots in haaretz, you forget to inform us that most 06:07  |  vladimir 20/07/07
  47.   Bad numbers 06:47  |  Amir 20/07/07
  48.   wealth 06:53  |  isiaiah 20/07/07
  49.   Is this "socialism" Israeli style....? 07:16  |  Esther 20/07/07
  50.   Danite - the yoke 07:21  |  Mark Lincoln 20/07/07
  51.   Yoram - which America? 07:23  |  Mark Lincoln 20/07/07
  52.   Pablo B.- Failure 07:25  |  Mark Lincoln 20/07/07
  53.   They can purchase the market, the press, the government 07:28  |  Mark Lincoln 20/07/07
  54.   Wealthy Israeli`s 07:28  |  Larry Lachman 20/07/07
  55.   Isaaiah 07:34  |  Mark Lincoln 20/07/07
  56.   Like in every country 08:08  |  Ryan 20/07/07
  57.   19 Israeli families control 1/3 of the economy 08:15  |  Kathleen 20/07/07
  58.   19 families and..... 08:55  |  Notoneofthem 20/07/07
  59.   Death of Democracy 09:03  |  Ben Israel 20/07/07
  60.   Relative 09:28  |  Burkhardt 20/07/07
  61.   Tax the rich, feed the poor 09:39  |  The Beatles Song 20/07/07
  62.   #55, Ben Israel - Excellent Analysis 10:07  |  Burkhardt 20/07/07
  63.   Oh dear..... 10:18  |  Clickfool 20/07/07
  64.   disgusting 3rd world apikores state 10:23  |  shalom 20/07/07
  65.   19 phone calls ................... 10:56  |  Nora 20/07/07
  66.   Haaretz Double-Standards 11:42  |  Sam 20/07/07
  67.   to boss hog no 27 12:12  |  Tina 20/07/07
  68.   Greed 12:13  |  CATO 20/07/07
  69.   May they all get to the top 100 in the world 12:14  |  SA 20/07/07
  70.   This is the result of corruption 12:47  |  fedup 20/07/07
  71.   Israel a top country to do business 21:07  |  sammy 22/07/07
  72.   They actually control much more of the economy than indicated. 11:23  |  Bartley Kulp 07/04/08
  73.   its the same everywhere 20:21  |  nita singh 15/05/08