Mossad Director Gofman prevented from handling 'Qatargate' over conflict of interest

Mossad Director Maj.-Gen. (res.) Roman Gofman will not handle any investigations into the "Qatargate" affair due to a conflict of interest, The Jerusalem Post confirmed on Thursday.Gofman served as the Prime Minister's military secretary from May 2024 until starting his tenure as Israel's spy chief in June."Qatargate" is an investigation concerning suspicions that Qatar-linked interests sought influence inside Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's wartime advisory circle.Given this, Gofman's close association and personal relationship with his then-PMO colleagues is seen as a conflict of interest were he to take a role in the investigation.Mossad investigating if 'Qatargate' harmed Israel's national securityThe Prosecutor's Office was waiting for a security opinion from Mossad in order to determine whether "Qatargate" harmed national security, N12 News reported on Thursday.The Mossad decided to assign a professional from the spy agency to handle the affair, according to N12.The presentation of the opinion was delayed due to Gofman entering the role as Mossad chief, N12 reported.Sarah Ben-Nun contributed to this report.