The new head of Mossad, appointed by the decision of the Supreme Court of Israel. The scandal in which Roman Gofman was involved
The Israeli Supreme Court on Monday validated the appointment of General Roman Gofman to head the Mossad, the foreign intelligence service, despite the criticism raised by his role in a controversial file dating back to 2022, AFP reports, taken over by Agerpres.
With two votes for and one against, the judges rejected the appeals against his appointment, coming especially from the Prosecutor General Gali Baharav-Miara, appreciating that “his integrity is not compromised”.
The current military secretary of the prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, Roman Gofman was appointed in December 2025 by him to take over the leadership of the Mossad starting in June.
On May 10, the attorney general sent a letter to the Supreme Court to justify his opposition to this appointment, based on a file dating back to 2022, when the general was stationed on Israel's northern border.
Israeli officers acting “at Gofman's request”, according to Ms. Baharav-Miara, had then illegally recruited Ouri Elmakiyes, a 17-year-old teenager, to carry out “intelligence and influence operations” in enemy countries, especially Syria.
Ignoring the fact that he was acting on behalf of the army, the Shin Bet (Israel's internal intelligence service) arrested the teenager, who was imprisoned over a year before the prosecutor's office investigated and dropped all charges.
According to the general prosecutor, Roman Gofman had done nothing to exonerate the young man after his arrest, even denying that he had knowledge of these facts. Elmakiyes also appealed to the Supreme Court to oppose his appointment as head of the Mossad.
The judges appreciated, however, that “Gofman's conduct in the Elmakiyes file does not morally discredit him, in any case not to the point of disqualifying him to exercise the duties of head of the Mossad.”
He will assume his position on Tuesday, June 2. His appointment comes in a context of persistent tensions between the Netanyahu government and the country's main judicial institutions.
