Legal Questions Arise After Israeli Mother and Daughter Found in Argentina Following Voluntary Disappearance

After nearly a week-long search, Israeli mother Mally Yahalomi and her daughter Liel Yahalomi were located in Argentina by Israeli police between Friday and Saturday. Authorities confirmed there was no suspicion of criminal activity related to their disappearance and released them. The discovery that the two had planned to disappear voluntarily sparked legal and ethical debates regarding the extensive resources invested in their search and the financial and reputational damages caused.

Dr. Daniela Asraf, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Law at Netanya Academic College, explained that legally, adults have the right to disappear voluntarily as long as no laws are broken. She noted that while parents have legal obligations toward minors, this case did not appear to involve neglect. Israeli police search costs were estimated between several hundred thousand to one million shekels, funded by taxpayers, while a crowdfunding campaign raised approximately 260,000 shekels. Additionally, Bank of Jerusalem’s stock, where Mally works, plunged from 12% to 2% amid rumors linking the disappearance to her employment.

Regarding legal responsibilities, Dr. Asraf clarified that no criminal charges apply since no offense was committed. However, if it is proven they intentionally misled police, they could face charges under the offense of obstructing a police officer. Civilly, the state cannot demand reimbursement for search costs without proving fraud or deception, which is difficult. Similarly, the bank may only have grounds for employment-related claims if it can prove Mally’s disappearance caused direct harm and breached her duty of loyalty.

On the question of whether the family must return donated funds, Dr. Asraf stated that as long as donations were used in good faith for the search, no repayment is required. Any leftover funds must be returned based on contract and gift laws. Privacy concerns were addressed, with Dr. Asraf noting that while the women were missing, publishing their images and names was lawful due to the public interest in locating them. After their discovery, authorities exercised caution in sharing details to protect their privacy.

The Israeli police emphasized their efforts focused on ruling out threats or coercion behind the disappearance and concluded their involvement once the women were found safe in Argentina.