Northern Galilee Business Owners Say Their Towns Were Left Out of Reconstruction Plan

Two business owners from Hatzor HaGlilit say their communities were excluded from Israel’s northern rehabilitation plan despite being close to the border and heavily affected by the war. In an interview with ynet, Tzion Hillel said northern businesses have already endured five difficult years, including two years of COVID-19 and three years of war, and argued that “there is no reason” Hatzor HaGlilit and Rosh Pina should be left out.

Hillel said even a single rocket alert can shut a business down for two weeks, trigger cancellations, and keep visitors away because people are afraid to come north. He said leisure businesses such as swimming pools and gyms are suffering because residents are afraid to leave home, and claimed the state treats the area as invisible. In his view, the exclusion may be tied to low support for Likud there, saying that if the municipality’s leader were a Likud member, the towns would probably have been included.

Eli Adaway, a business owner in Hatzor HaGlilit and a city council member, also said the town was excluded even though it is “right next to the border.” He said there have been many alerts, many impacts, and damaged homes, all of which are hurting businesses. His business depends on weddings and celebrations, but brides are postponing ceremonies.

According to Adaway, some weddings have already been delayed by five months, creating more problems, including dress-fitting issues and added costs. He said businesses are going under while expenses keep rising and suppliers still demand payment, and called for immediate state help, saying the businesses need a fast rescue.