Netanyahu’s military secretary Roman Gofman approved to serve as next Mossad chief

Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s military secretary, was approved on Sunday to become the next director of the Mossad intelligence agency.

He will begin his five-year term as Mossad director on June 2, Netanyahu’s office said in a statement, adding that the prime minister signed Gofman’s official appointment letter.

The announcement came after the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee headed by former Supreme Court president Asher Grunis gave the green light to Gofman.

Most of the committee’s report dealt with an incident that occurred in 2022 while Gofman was commanding the IDF’s 210th “Bashan” Regional Division in the Golan Heights.

As commander, Gofman approved the use of a 17-year-old, Ori Elmakayes, for an Arabic-language influence campaign against Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas, leading to the teen’s prolonged detention by security authorities after he was accused of publishing classified information.

Gofman has claimed he did not know how old the teenager was, adding that he had ordered that only non-classified information be given to him for publication on social media.

Elmakayes was held in detention for 18 months before the charges were dropped, after it emerged that the classified information he had published on the internet was fed to him by intelligence officers in the Israel Defense Forces.

In their joint decision, the three junior members of the committee said that the incident should not keep Gofman from serving as the head of the Mossad, while Grunis, in a separate opinion, recommended that Gofman be disqualified.

Elmakayes slammed the decision as “ridiculous,” saying on X: “Roman Gofman activated me illegally and immediately afterward disavowed me, abandoned me, and did not stop the ongoing nightmare I went through.”

“Someone who abandoned a 17-year-old boy will also abandon Mossad agents,” Elmakayes wrote.

Gofman’s appointment “is a real danger to the Mossad and the security of the State of Israel,” he said, vowing to “fight to disqualify his appointment.”

Gofman will replace outgoing Mossad chief David Barnea, whose five-year term is set to end in June. The nomination has drawn criticism from current and former security officials, who have told Hebrew media that Gofman lacks the operational and intelligence background traditionally required to lead the security agency.

He is considered close to Netanyahu, having served as his military secretary for nearly two years. During that time, Gofman traveled on the premier’s behalf for various tasks and oversaw the implementation of the prime minister’s directives in the IDF.

Born in Belarus, Gofman moved to Israel with his family in 1990 at the age of 14. During his military career, he rose through the IDF Armored Corps, becoming a division commander before moving out of combat roles.

During the October 7, 2023, onslaught, while serving as the commander of the Tzeelim training base, he rushed to the Gaza border and was seriously wounded while battling the Hamas-led terrorists in a firefight at Sha’ar Hanegev Junction just outside of Sderot.

Before entering the role of Netanyahu’s military secretary in 2024, Gofman wrote a controversial document recommending that Israel retain military control over the Gaza Strip after defeating Hamas in the war.

The Shin Bet domestic security agency is also headed by a former IDF general, David Zini, who took over the role late last year.

Source: The Times of Israel
-- Agencies