Jerusalem approves protest tent for family of missing girl Haymanot Kasau

The Jerusalem Municipality on Sunday approved a protest tent at Shimon Agranat Square for the family of Haymanot Kasau, who was nine when she disappeared from Safed more than two and a half years ago and has not been seen since.

The agreement allows the tent to remain near the Supreme Court through October 22. It also rendered moot an administrative petition filed by the family and the Association for Civil Rights in Israel. The Jerusalem District Court, sitting as a court for administrative affairs, struck the petition from its docket at the petitioners’ request and canceled a hearing scheduled for Monday.

Haymanot’s father, Tesfaye Kasau, thanked those who helped the family obtain approval after what he said was a five-month effort.

“We would like to invite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) chief David Zini to the protest tent, in the hope that we will be able to dismantle it quickly because the Shin Bet will take responsibility for the case,” he said.

“Haymanot was kidnapped 953 days ago [on Monday], and it is clear to everyone that the investigation is not being handled properly,” he added. “All Benchi and I are asking is that everything be done to bring her home.”

Police continue to classify Haymanot as missing, while her family maintains that she was abducted.

The family’s original application sought permission to establish the camp from September 23 through October 22 at the intersection of Zusman and Kaplan streets, near the Prime Minister’s Office in Jerusalem’s government complex.

Family of Haymanot argues police investigation failed to produce answers

The purpose was to press the government to place the investigation under full Shin Bet responsibility and maintain public awareness of Haymanot’s disappearance. The family argues that the police-led investigation has failed to produce answers and that the security agency should use its broader intelligence capabilities to try to locate her.

The investigation was transferred to the police’s Lahav 433 National Crime Unit in December 2025. Despite extensive searches involving police, rescue units, canine teams and volunteers, no confirmed trace of Haymanot has been found.

In its response to the family’s application, the Jerusalem Municipality said that tents erected for extended periods generally create sanitation, safety and accessibility problems and interfere with the public’s use of shared spaces.

The petitioners argued, however, that the municipality had not identified any specific hazard posed by their proposed camp and had instead relied on general concerns and municipal policy.

The formal application followed several attempts, beginning in July, to obtain permission for a camp near the Supreme Court, the Knesset and the prime minister’s official residence. The petition said the family was turned away even when it proposed using existing protest sites or infrastructure.

Haymanot went missing on February 25, 2024, after she was last seen near the Jewish Agency absorption center in Safed where her family lived.

The family agreed to remove the protest tent after October 22 unless another decision is issued.

“Thank you to everyone who supports and strengthens us,” Tesfaye said. “Please come to the protest tent.”