The Jerusalem Municipality has authorized the establishment of a protest tent at Shimon Agranat Square for the family of Haymanot Kasau, who has been missing since February 2024. Haymanot, who was nine years old at the time of her disappearance in Safed, has not been seen for more than two and a half years. The permit allows the tent to remain near the Supreme Court through October 22.

This approval followed a protracted five-month effort by the family to secure permission to set up the protest site, which raised concerns about extended tent use affecting sanitation, safety, and access in shared public spaces. The municipality noted these general operational challenges but did not cite any specific hazards linked to the Kasau family’s planned tent.

The approval effectively resolved an administrative petition filed by the family and the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, which had challenged the municipality’s earlier refusals. The Jerusalem District Court, serving in an administrative capacity, struck the petition from its docket at the request of the petitioners, resulting in the cancellation of a hearing previously scheduled for Monday.

Haymanot’s father, Tesfaye Kasau, expressed gratitude to those who supported the family’s efforts and called for senior officials to engage directly with the protest. “We would like to invite Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) chief David Zini to the protest tent,” he said, emphasizing the hope that the tent could be removed promptly if the agency assumed responsibility for the case. “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 security agencies should use their broader intelligence capabilities to try to locate her.”

The case was transferred to the police’s Lahav 433 National Crime Unit in December 2025 after extensive efforts by police, rescue teams, canine units, and volunteers failed to yield any confirmed leads. Haymanot was last seen near the Jewish Agency absorption center in Safed, where her family resided at the time of her disappearance.

The family had previously sought permission to establish a protest camp closer to prominent government sites, including near the Supreme Court, the Knesset, and the prime minister’s official residence. The petitioners claimed they were repeatedly denied access even when proposing to use existing protest infrastructure, prompting their legal challenge to the municipality’s decisions.