Scandal surrounding the future head of Mossad. The serious charges brought against him by the Attorney General of Israel
Israel's attorney general has sent a letter to the Supreme Court expressing her opposition to the appointment of Roman Gofman as the future head of Mossad, Israel's foreign intelligence service, who should take office next month, AFP reports.
Prosecutor Gali Baharav-Miara cited an episode from 2022 in Gofman's career, when he held a post on Israel's northern border.
During that time, Baharav-Miara recalls, officers acting at Gofman's request illegally recruited a 17-year-old, Ouri Elmakiyes, to conduct “intelligence and influence operations” in enemy countries, namely Syria.
Unaware that the teenager was working for the army, the Shin Beth (Israeli counter-intelligence service) arrested him, only to be released after more than a year, following an investigation by the prosecutor's office that dropped the charges against him.
According to the chief prosecutor in Israel, Roman Gofman did nothing to acquit the young man of charges, even denying that he had knowledge of his recruitment.
A controversial nomination
Roman Gofman, the current military secretary of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, was appointed in December 2025 for the post of Mossad director. Subsequently, a commission was tasked with giving an opinion on the proposal made by Netanyahu, the opinion being advisory, but after careful examination.
The chairman of this commission, a former Supreme Court judge, opposed the nomination, stating that Roman Gofman did not tell the truth about the affair during his hearing, which would be problematic from the perspective of “moral integrity.”
But the former judge was outnumbered by his three colleagues on the commission, known for their support for the Israeli head of government.
In the coming days, there will be an appearance before the Supreme Court on this subject, with several NGOs as well as Ouri Elmakiyes expected to express their views.
Benjamin Netanyahu wrote to the Court asking that these appeals be dismissed, stating that “the responsibility for the security of the state and its citizens rests with the prime minister and him alone”.
The controversy comes as Netanyahu has for more than two years denied claims that the state security apparatus was responsible for failing to detect in advance Hamas' intention to attack Israeli territory on October 7, 2023.
