The Committee for Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs, chaired by MK Oded Forer (Yisrael Beyteinu), held its ninth follow-up discussion on the status of the search for the girl Hymanut Kassou.
In two weeks' time, a year will have elapsed since her disappearance from the absorption center in Tzfat. Forer opened the discussion by saying: "It is inconceivable that despite all the efforts of the police and the search operations that have been carried out, no real lead has yet been found in the disappearance of Hymanut."
He said: "I approached the Minister of Immigration and Absorption requesting the establishment of a governmental commission of inquiry headed by a judge to investigate the entire treatment from the day of her disappearance. The campaign initiated by the Ministry of Immigration and Absorption regarding the disappearance was short and ineffective. Accordingly, in the wake of the anniversary of her disappearance, the campaign should be renewed and extensive search days should be held with the ceasefire in effect in the north. I have been accompanying this case from the outset. What is lacking in the process is new information that will only be received through a media campaign."
According to him, "It is a dereliction of duty that the Immigration Ministry does not invest the appropriate funds to mount a wide-ranging campaign so that every citizen of the State of Israel will be familiar with the face of this girl. I am committed to keeping this issue on the agenda. It is precisely open debate that can shed light on the disappearance." Hymanut had disappeared from a facility under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Absorption.
Inspector Yitzhak Ben-Abu, commander of the Tzfat station, said: "Unfortunately, there has been no change in the status of Hymanut since the previous follow-up meeting. We are in constant contact with the family. The war in the north has made it difficult for us to search and to mobilize volunteers. We conducted extensive searches about three weeks ago, but unfortunately we were unable to reach any relevant findings. We are employing all the means at our disposal and are also availing ourselves of external means connected with the search for missing persons."
Tefsai, Hymanut's father, said in the discussion: "It cannot be said that the police are not doing work related to finding Hymanut, but they are not doing enough. There is intelligence information that we in the family are passing on to the police, but they are checking it out very late. The change of status of the case from missing to abducted would expand the police resources available for finding her. The Jewish Agency and the Ministry of Absorption have a great deal of responsibility in this case, but they are not doing enough to find my daughter. Photographs of my daughter with a hotline for information should be posted everywhere until she is found. In two weeks, on the anniversary of the kidnapping of my daughter, we will hold a demonstration and a prayer vigil in front of the Knesset."
Inspector Amir Samanieh, commander of the Sea of Galilee police, added: "In the last two months we have conducted between 60 and 70 operations related to the search and all of them have not been able to produce relevant information. In the course of our investigation we are examining every inquiry that comes to us, including a check of information in Ashkelon and Beer Sheva. Her father was with me in a meeting last month, along with an interpreter. We are showing all the empathy that is required in this situation. I am not ruling out the possibility that a publicity campaign to find Hymanut could lead to relevant information about the girl. We are having a national and international dialogue about any intelligence information that we receive."
Lt. Col. Lital Avrahami, head of the Ethiopian community police, said: "Any information that comes up in the file is investigated and examined. We are hoping to find Hymanut as soon as possible. There is a police officer who speaks Amharic who is attached to the family so that he can translate the police actions to them on a regular basis. Exposure of the police investigation operations may harm the investigation process. The Israel Police has placed the investigation of Hymanut at the top of its priorities. The Israel Police is working on several fronts to find Hymanut. From the outset of the case, a devil's advocate team was established whose purpose is to constantly check additional lines of investigation."
MK Moshe Solomon (Religious Zionist Party) said: "The Ministry of Immigration is a central axis in the campaign to raise awareness of the disappearance of Hymanut. We must do everything possible to find Hymanut. It is impossible to let the family live in such uncertainty. The public display of Hymanut will keep the issue on the agenda and increase the chances of finding her.
MK Tsega Melaku (Likud) added: "Hymanut should be considered abducted and not missing. Hymanut was abducted from a resettlement center, in a place that should be the most protected for her and her family. The country would be rocked if another child disappeared. Hymanut's picture should be seen everywhere throughout Israel. It pains me to see that the appropriate resources are not being allocated to finding her. There is a great crisis of trust between the Ethiopian community and the Israel Police and the slow actions taken in the investigation of the case only add to this rift."
Avraham Yitzhak, chairman and founder of the Forum of Leaders Together, said: "Beyond the hostages in Gaza there is another captive called Hymanut. The activities to find her should be concentrated in the police department, in the government offices and in the civilian sector. On the anniversary of her abduction we will hold a protest rally in front of the Knesset building so that each of the elected officials will work to find her."