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

After nearly a week-long search, Israeli mother Mally and daughter Liel Yahalomi were located in Argentina by Israeli police between Friday and Saturday. Authorities confirmed no criminal suspicion regarding their disappearance and released them. It was revealed that the two had planned to disappear voluntarily, prompting public debate over the responsibility for the extensive resources invested in their search and the financial and reputational damages incurred.

Dr. Daniela Asraf, Deputy Dean of the Faculty of Law at Netanya Academic College, explained that legally, adults have the autonomy to disappear without notifying anyone, provided no laws are broken. She noted that if minors were involved, the situation would differ due to parental obligations, but this case did not appear to involve such issues. The Israeli police reportedly spent hundreds of thousands to nearly a million shekels on the search, funded by taxpayers, while the family raised approximately 260,000 shekels through crowdfunding. Additionally, Mally’s employer, Bank of Jerusalem, saw its stock plunge from 12% to 2% amid rumors linking the disappearance to her work.

Regarding legal accountability, Dr. Asraf clarified that there is no criminal offense for voluntary disappearance unless deliberate obstruction of police is proven. Civilly, the state cannot easily demand reimbursement for search costs without evidence of fraud or deception, which would be difficult to establish. Similarly, the bank lacks grounds to sue the employee solely due to the disappearance, though labor law claims related to breach of loyalty could be considered if a causal link to damages is proven.

On the question of returning donated funds, Dr. Asraf stated that as long as the money was used in good faith for the search, the family is not obligated to repay it. However, any leftover funds must be returned under contract and gift laws. Privacy concerns were addressed, with Dr. Asraf noting that while the women were missing, publishing their images and names was legal due to public interest. After their location was confirmed, authorities exercised caution in sharing details. The police emphasized their efforts aimed at ruling out criminal motives and concluded their involvement upon confirming the women’s safety.