Barak Seri on economic losses: "A sea of money was spent"

The affair of the disappearance and location of Meli Yaalomi (50) and her daughter Liel (23) in Argentina continues to stir widespread public controversy, with sharp criticism emerging regarding the massive resources invested in the event. Commentator and journalist Barak Seri addressed the affair in a radio broadcast and expressed deep concern about the dangerous precedent it creates.

"I was at many meetings over the weekend and everyone was in a frenzy over this story. We were very worried about them. A sea of money was spent on the searches," Seri said on air.

In his remarks, Seri raised the issue of public danger: "I am afraid that the next time Israelis disappear under such mysterious circumstances around the world, people will say, 'Forget it - we saw what happened with the Yaalomi case.' They were exposed to all the chaos in the country, they could have sent a WhatsApp message. It was said that they wanted to reach a country that does not have an extradition treaty with Israel and it is quite easy to obtain fake passports there. Why did they do it, what is the story?"

The global operation, which included command centers in Israel and abroad, the activation of diplomatic missions, cooperation with Europol, and the involvement of about 300 investigators, police officers, and intelligence personnel, cost an estimated 1 million shekels according to police assessments.

Sharp criticism was heard from a source familiar with the details: "From the moment the police knew that there were no complaints against the two, that there was no involvement in any criminal event, and that they had started a new life abroad, they should not have investigated the affair. They should have just stepped aside and let the family deal with it themselves."

The police investigation reveals that this was not a spontaneous disappearance but a preparation that lasted about a month, in which the daughter Liel was a full partner. The two used search engines and artificial intelligence (AI) to check how to purchase a phone without identification, where there are no extradition treaties with Israel, and how to delete tracking applications. As part of the preparations, Meli withdrew about 14,000 euros (over 50,000 shekels) from her account.

Their route passed through the Czech Republic (where they purchased a mobile device without a passport), Vienna (where they left the original phone and sent a video that created a false impression that they were still in the city), Germany, and from there a flight to Buenos Aires. The two were eventually located on a bus in South America. After it became clear that they were healthy, not under threat, and had left of their own free will, they were released.

At the same time, the Yaalomi family announced the halting of the crowdfunding campaign they had opened during the days of the search. The family expressed immense relief that the two were found alive and announced that the approximately 260,000 shekels collected from the public would be returned in full to the donors.