At Netanyahu's office or nowhere — what the Haimanot Kassau family is seeking

The family of missing girl Haimanot Kassau has filed a petition with the Jerusalem District Court requesting permission to set up a protest tent camp near the Prime Minister's office. The municipality rejected the request, citing sanitary and security concerns. The petitioners insist on the constitutional right to protest.

The parents of Haimanot Kassau, Tesfia and Benchi Kassau, together with the Association for Civil Rights in Israel, filed a petition with the Jerusalem District Court. They are asking for permission to set up a protest tent camp at the intersection of Zusman and Kaplan streets, near the government quarter and the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. The camp is planned from September 23 to October 22, 2026. The family demands intensified efforts to find the girl, who went missing on February 25, 2024, at the age of nine from an absorption center in Safed. The Jerusalem Municipality rejected previous family requests to set up a camp in other locations in the city, including near the Supreme Court and opposite the Prime Minister's residence. The municipality's legal advisor rejected the latest request the day after it was submitted, citing potential sanitary issues, security problems, and obstruction of public space access. The petition argues that freedom of protest is a constitutional right and that the municipality's decision is based on general considerations rather than specific danger. Lawyers Oded Fler and Eden Gilad stated that the municipality cannot restrict protest based on general concerns. The municipality, in turn, said it shares the family's pain and hopes for the girl's return.