Israel, like any other democratic country, has it's governmental fluctuations that make it better or worse. Lets not whitewash history and pretend Netanyahu would do anything other than stand pat on previous policy decisions. LGBT protections being handed as a moral win to Likud is like saying Stephen Harper championed those same rights here.
Activists had to fight tooth and nail to get what they got in Israel and Likud weren't the governments that handed it to them. They just get to pretend they're some bastion of freedom in a sea of #### because more sane and kind governments figured it out before/after them.
This article from the Yale review is a good primer on how they have suppressed the movement for same-sex marriage:
http://yris.yira.org/acheson-prize/2453