Hatzor HaGlilit Mayor Quits Likud Citing Neglect and Economic Abandonment

Michael Kabsa, the mayor of Hatzor HaGlilit, officially announced his immediate resignation from the Likud party on Monday. In a pointed video message to his community, Kabsa explained that his decision followed nearly two years of a strenuous struggle with various government ministries, which he says left Hatzor HaGlilit isolated and excluded from all economic aid programs aimed at rehabilitating and strengthening northern Israel.

Kabsa described the situation as deeply painful, emphasizing his primary loyalty to his town and its residents over any political party. He criticized the government for allocating 22 billion shekels to northern development projects while completely neglecting Hatzor HaGlilit. The town, located about 11 kilometers from the Lebanon border, faces ongoing security threats including daily rocket alerts and economic damage, yet remains inadequately protected and officially unevacuated.

He accused the government of deliberately sidelining Hatzor HaGlilit despite multiple national decisions to support other northern communities, including those on the front lines and various ethnic groups. Kabsa called this exclusion a "targeted sabotage" of the entire town, asserting it was a deliberate policy rather than an administrative error. He stated that he remained loyal to Likud long after the party stopped supporting his town.

Concluding his resignation announcement, Kabsa vowed to continue fighting for the rights of Hatzor HaGlilit residents, rejecting the notion that children from his town should be valued less than those from neighboring communities. He declared that political parties and governments may change, but Hatzor HaGlilit will endure, and he will persist in advocating for it. Kabsa framed his departure as a response to the government’s failure to support his town, underscoring the 22 billion shekels allocated elsewhere as justification for leaving Likud.