Parents of Missing Girl Seek Month-Long Protest Near Prime Minister's Office, Challenge Jerusalem Ban

The parents of Haymanot Kasau have asked the Jerusalem District Court to urgently overturn the municipality's refusal to permit a month-long protest encampment near the Prime Minister's Office. They say the sustained presence is needed to press the government to transfer full responsibility for the investigation of their daughter's disappearance to the Shin Bet and to keep the case in the public eye.

Background

Haymanot, then nine years old, vanished from the absorption center where her family lived in Safed on February 25, 2024. She was last seen that evening distributing local-election leaflets with friends near the center. Despite extensive searches by police, rescue teams, tracking dogs and volunteers, no trace of her has been found.

The Protest Plan And Municipal Response

The Kasaus requested permission to set up a camp from September 23 through October 22 at the intersection of Zusman and Kaplan streets, adjacent to the Prime Minister's Office and the Jerusalem government complex. ACRI (the Association for Civil Rights in Israel) submitted the formal application on September 15; the city denied it on September 16 and the family petitioned the Jerusalem District Court (sitting as the Court for Administrative Affairs) on September 17.

In its written decision, the municipality said it sympathizes with the family but relied on general municipal policy and experience that long-term tents in public spaces tend to create sanitation, safety and accessibility problems and can impede equal public use of shared areas. The decision did not, the family says, identify any site-specific risk or explain why conditions could not be imposed to mitigate concerns.

President Isaac Herzog meets with the family of missing child Haymanot Kasau on August 25, 2026. (credit: CHAIM TZACH/GPO)

Family's Arguments And Legal Claim

Tesfaye and Banchi Kasau, represented by ACRI, say the blanket refusal violates legal principles requiring individual assessment of protest requests. They argue the police-led investigation has stalled and that limited Shin Bet assistance to date has not produced answers, so a full transfer of responsibility to the security agency is warranted. The petition cites previous Supreme Court rulings and earlier attorney-general submissions that criticized rigid municipal protest rules that fail to weigh each request on its merits—especially for demonstrations aimed at national decision-makers in the capital.

"It seems Haymanot has no place in the priorities of Israel's capital," Tesfaye Kasau said. "We truly no longer know what to do so that people will listen and their ears will not remain closed to Haymanot's cry."

Developments And Dispute Over A Temporary Booth

While the court proceedings were pending the family erected a temporary Sukkot booth in Agranat Square beside an existing protest camp operated by the Gvura Forum. The municipality asked the court to dismiss the petition, saying the booth created facts on the ground that removed the need for the requested remedy. The family and its lawyers replied that the holiday booth is temporary, that they did not install the month-long encampment requested in the petition, and that they will dismantle the booth when the holiday ends. They also said the city identified no actual harm caused by the booth.

Investigation Status

The disappearance probe was transferred to the police's Lahav 433 national crime unit in December 2025. In February (by attorney-general authorization) the Shin Bet was permitted to provide limited, exceptional assistance to the police; President Isaac Herzog later said Shin Bet operations were supporting the police-led investigation. The family argues that limited assistance has not produced answers and demands a full transfer of responsibility to the Shin Bet. Police have said the case remains a top priority but have declined to disclose investigative steps. A national publicity campaign launched in June included a NIS 1 million reward for information leading to Haymanot; no publicly confirmed breakthrough has followed.

Photo credit: CHAIM TZACH/GPO (President Isaac Herzog met with the family on August 25, 2026).

Court Status

Judge Einat Avman-Muller has not yet dismissed the petition or ordered the city to authorize the camp. The family is seeking an urgent hearing and continues to press its claim that the municipality must evaluate the protest request individually rather than rely on broad, categorical rules.