Netanyahu Defends Roman Gofman Appointment as Mossad Chief Amid High Court Challenge

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu defended his pick for Mossad chief, insisting in a video statement that "Only the prime minister appoints the head of the Mossad," as a High Court hearing weighs petitions against Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman’s nomination.

“The Office of the Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that General Roman Gofman will assume the Mossad chief post at the start of next June, after approval by the committee responsible for appointments to senior positions”

El-Nashra

Netanyahu said Gofman "is a heroic fighter" and described him as "one of the most highly regarded operational commanders in the IDF," while arguing that the appointment process is being challenged for reasons including that "Roman immigrated from the Soviet Union" and that Gofman is "my military secretary."

El-Nashra

The dispute is tied to a 2022 incident involving the IDF’s 210th "Bashan" Regional Division in the Golan Heights, where Gofman approved the use of a 17-year-old, Ori Elmakayes, for an Arabic-language influence campaign against Iran, Hezbollah, and Hamas.

Reuters reported that a High Court fight has followed a letter from outgoing Mossad chief David Barnea to the attorney general expressing opposition to Gofman’s appointment, and Channel 13 reported Netanyahu held a heated conversation Sunday with Barnea over the letter.

The petitions argue Gofman acted improperly during the 2022 incident while serving as an IDF division commander and is unfit to hold the job, with Barnea telling the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee that "Any official reprimand disqualifies a promotion, certainly a promotion for the head of the Mossad."

Outgoing Mossad Director David Barnea was reprimanded by Netanyahu on Sunday after he sent a confidential letter to Attorney-General Gali Baharav-Miara denouncing the appointment of Maj.-Gen. Roman Gofman as his replacement, with Netanyahu claiming Barnea "exceeded his authority".

Netanyahu reiterated in an official statement that "The one who appoints the head of the Mossad is only the Prime Minister," while also saying of Gofman, "Gofman is a heroic fighter. He is strong-willed, one of the most highly regarded operational commanders in the IDF."

Haaretz

The controversy deepened as retired Supreme Court chief justice Asher Grunis said Barnea opposed Gofman’s appointment in a full opinion released Sunday, and Grunis’ dissent described Barnea telling the committee he was not familiar with all the details of the case.

In Grunis’ account, Barnea warned that if a Mossad division head who was not responsible for running agents nevertheless operated a person, that official would not remain in the job, and Barnea was quoted saying, "I cannot imagine that someone under me would approve such an operation at all."

The High Court is expected to hear the petitions this week, with the case framed as a clash among Netanyahu, the attorney general, the outgoing Mossad chief, and the retired judge who led the appointments committee.

While Netanyahu urged the High Court to reject the petitions, the attorney general’s submission argued that Gofman’s nomination "suffers from extreme and glaring unreasonableness," and urged the court to rule against his suitability for the position.

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MTV Lebanon

The dispute centers on Ori Almakayes, described as a teenager from Ashkelon who operated a Telegram news channel and was allegedly used when he was 17 in an unauthorized IDF-linked influence operation while Gofman commanded the 210th Division on the northern border.

Haaretz reported that Barnea warned the court that appointing Gofman could cause "serious damage" to an organization operating with limited oversight and raise ethical concerns tied to a case involving a minor.

The Office of the Israeli Prime Minister later announced that General Roman Gofman would assume leadership of Mossad in early June 2026, after the committee responsible for appointments to senior positions approved the nomination, with the statement saying Netanyahu signed the appointment document for a five-year term.

In the same announcement, Gofman was set to take office on June 2, 2026, replacing outgoing Mossad chief David Barnea whose term ends in June after five years in the post, as the High Court process continued over the appointment.