Hatzor HaGlilit Council Head Quits Likud, Accuses Government of Neglect

Michael Kabsa, head of the Hatzor HaGlilit local council, announced on Monday his departure from the Likud party after years of membership. Kabsa cited a sense of abandonment of his town, located about 11 kilometers from the Lebanon border, which he claims has been excluded from northern Israel’s government aid budgets despite enduring nearly three years of ongoing security threats, sirens, rocket impacts, and severe economic damage.

Kabsa criticized the government for allocating 22 billion shekels in aid to various northern communities and sectors, including frontline areas, the Golan Heights, Kiryat Shmona, and different ethnic groups, while Hatzor HaGlilit received no assistance. He accused the government of deliberately changing criteria to exclude his town and described this as a targeted policy rather than an error. Kabsa emphasized his loyalty to his community over party affiliation, stating that he remained faithful to Likud long after the party stopped supporting Hatzor HaGlilit.

In his statement, Kabsa condemned the government’s treatment of his town, declaring he refuses to accept a reality where a child from Hatzor HaGlilit is considered worth less than one living just a few hundred meters away. He vowed to continue fighting for his community regardless of political changes, asserting that the government’s neglect is clear and that there are "22 billion reasons" behind his decision to leave Likud.