Hatzor mayor: Nasrallah must be eliminated

By ERICA DANIELLE CHERNOFSKY
After leaving Lebanon with the IDF only six years ago, it seems Hatzor Mayor Col. Shaul Kamisa cannot escape his enemies. As part of the convoy that was bombed in 1999, killing his superior, Brig.-Gen. Erez Gerstein, two soldiers and a reporter, Kamisa miraculously walked away unscathed. During his 25 years in Lebanon, Kamisa served as deputy commander of the IDF's forces, as commander of special operations and intelligence and as the head of the civil aid program to Lebanon, providing aid to 120,000 Lebanese civilians who were neglected by their government. And in the past week, more than 30 Katyusha rockets bombarded Hatzor, where Kamisa has lived his entire life and served as mayor for more than two years. "When we left Lebanon in 2000, it didn't take long for Hizbullah to take control," said Kamisa from his office, only 22 kilometers from the border. But today, he stated, the army cannot back down. "[Hizbullah head Hassan] Nasrallah is one of the main enemies of the State of Israel and an enemy who has done lot of damage to our army and our people," said Kamisa, who was in Lebanon when Nasrallah's son, Hadi, was killed by the IDF in 1997. "He is a charismatic leader who knows how to rally the support of the people," added Kamisa, "and, to put it nicely, we have to make sure he won't be around much longer. We must eliminate him, his successors and anyone else who threatens the State of Israel and world peace." Though Hatzor residents have suffered injuries and property damage and spent most of the last week indoors in bomb shelters, Kamisa insists his town is strong, but has a demand of the government. "What we in Hatzor request is that the government not get tired and not give up," he said. "We need it to continue the fight."