Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s military secretary, was approved on Sunday to grow to be the next director of the Mossad intelligence company.
He will start his five-year time period as Mossad director on June 2, Netanyahu’s workplace mentioned in an announcement, including that the prime minister signed Gofman’s official appointment letter.
The announcement got here after the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee headed by former Supreme Court president Asher Grunis gave the inexperienced gentle to Gofman.
Most of the committee’s report dealt with an incident that occurred in 2022 whereas Gofman was commanding the IDF’s 210th “Bashan” Regional Division within the Golan Heights.
As commander, Gofman approved using a 17-year-old, Ori Elmakayes, for an Arabic-language affect marketing campaign towards Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas, main to the teenager’s extended detention by safety authorities after he was accused of publishing categorised data.
Gofman has claimed he didn’t know the way previous {the teenager} was, including that he had ordered that solely non-classified data be given to him for publication on social media.
Elmakayes was held in detention for 18 months earlier than the costs had been dropped, after it emerged that the categorised data he had revealed on the web was fed to him by intelligence officers within the Israel Defense Forces.
In their joint resolution, the three junior members of the committee mentioned that the incident shouldn’t preserve Gofman from serving as the pinnacle of the Mossad, whereas Grunis, in a separate opinion, really helpful that Gofman be disqualified.
Elmakayes slammed the resolution 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 mentioned, vowing to “fight to disqualify his appointment.”
Gofman will exchange outgoing Mossad chief David Barnea, whose five-year time period is ready to finish in June. The nomination has drawn criticism from present and former safety officers, who’ve instructed Hebrew media that Gofman lacks the operational and intelligence background historically required to lead the safety company.
He is taken into account shut to Netanyahu, having served as his military secretary for practically two years. During that point, Gofman traveled on the premier’s behalf for varied duties and oversaw the implementation of the prime minister’s directives within the IDF.
Born in Belarus, Gofman moved to Israel together with his household in 1990 on the age of 14. During his military profession, he rose by way of the IDF Armored Corps, turning into a division commander earlier than shifting out of fight roles.
During the October 7, 2023, onslaught, whereas serving as the commander of the Tzeelim coaching base, he rushed to the Gaza border and was severely wounded whereas battling the Hamas-led terrorists in a firefight at Sha’ar Hanegev Junction simply outdoors of Sderot.
Before getting into the function of Netanyahu’s military secretary in 2024, Gofman wrote a controversial document recommending that Israel retain military management over the Gaza Strip after defeating Hamas within the conflict.
The Shin Bet home safety company can also be headed by a former IDF normal, David Zini, who took over the function late final 12 months.
Times of Israel workers contributed to this report.
