Netanyahu Faced in Beersheba Over Missing Haimnot Kasau as Deputy Minister Sparks Outrage
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced protests in Beersheba over missing girl Haimnot Kasau, while Deputy Minister Almog Cohen sparked controversy after a heated mall exchange.
More than two and a half years after the disappearance of young Haimnot Kasau, her family confronted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu during his visit to the Grand Canyon mall in Beersheba. Relatives shouted, asking why he was ignoring the family and demanding answers regarding the missing girl.
The Incident at the Mall and the Controversy
During the encounter, a video captured Deputy Minister Almog Cohen turning toward the camera and uttering a controversial remark. The footage quickly sparked widespread outrage across social networks, with critics linking the comment to the relative who was pressing the prime minister about Haimnot.
However, Cohen strongly rejected claims that his words were directed at the family member. He explained that a different woman standing nearby repeatedly directed an obscene gesture and shouted the word "traitor" at him, prompting his sharp response.
"The prime minister and I toured the Beersheba mall. A lone woman, unrelated to the protest for finding Haimnot, gave me the middle finger and shouted 'traitor.' I answered her and will answer a hundred times that she is mentally ill," Cohen's office stated.
Investigation Status and Family Frustration
Netanyahu did not verbally respond during the recorded incident regarding Haimnot's disappearance. This silence stands in contrast to a meeting held last January, where the prime minister promised the Kasau family that he would personally look into the matter and ensure her return. Family members later voiced disappointment, noting that promised updates, including the active involvement of the Shin Bet, had stalled.
More than 962 days have passed since Haimnot vanished from an absorption center in Safed at the age of nine. Now eleven years old, her case remains without a definitive breakthrough despite dozens of parliamentary sessions in the Knesset and the transfer of the investigation to Lahav 433.
