Bennett, Lapid meet family of Haymanot Kasau, pledge to transfer case to Shin Bet, Zini if elected

Family members of Haymanot Kasau, who disappeared from the absorption center in Safed when she was nine, met with B'Yachad party head and former prime minister Naftali Bennett and opposition leader Yair Lapid on Thursday morning.

Haymanot disappeared in February 2024, more than two and a half years ago, and the police investigation remains open.

Marking 949 days since Haymanot's disappearance, her father, Tesfaye Kasau, and her older sister met Bennett and Lapid.

Tesfaye asked the pair about their previous efforts to transfer the case to the Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency). They promised that, if elected, they would have the case transferred to the Shin Bet, according to a statement from the Headquarters for Haymanot.

Transferring the case to Shin Bet, Zini

The family has been asking Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to transfer the case's handling from the police to the Shin Bet for the last eight months; however, they have received no response, the statement added.

Bennett and Lapid told Haymanot's family that they would contact Shin Bet chief David Zini and ask him to consider the possibility of the agency becoming involved with the investigation.

"The family's pain and uncertainty are unbearable," Bennett said in a post on X/Twitter. "They shared with me the hardship and growing fear in light of the time that has passed since Haymanot's disappearance, and the immense efforts they are investing to bring her home."

"I committed to them that we would turn to the head of the Shin Bet, David Zini, to examine the Shin Bet's involvement in the matter."

"In the next government, we will act with all means to ensure Haymanot's return."

Bennett, Lapid stress government failure in Haymanot Kasau's case

"I cannot imagine the hell [you go through] from the moment you wake up in the morning until the moment you go to sleep," Bennett said during the meeting.

"Once the government is formed, I will convene a meeting in my office with the police commissioner, the head of the Shin Bet, the officials in charge of the investigation, the Attorney-General, and all other relevant parties to understand the sequence of events," he added.

"There was negligence along the way, but that is behind us; we will now focus all our resources on a deep investigation into what can be done and what actions are required," he told the family. "We will not leave the room until there is a plan."

"Finding Haymanot is a moral and national imperative," Lapid added. "A special task force should have been established back in February 2024, when the incident occurred."

"The government is not doing enough to bring Haymanot back."

"We will continue to make every effort to ensure the government does not neglect its duty," he said.

Following the meeting, hundreds of demonstrators are marching through Jerusalem to the Western Wall, calling for government attention to Haymanot's case.