Overview
- Israel’s senior appointments committee approved Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman on Sunday, and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu signed a five‑year appointment slated to begin June 2, with some outlets reporting a July 2 handover.
- Committee chair Asher Grunis voted no, calling Gofman’s past use of a minor an integrity failure, and outgoing Mossad director David Barnea also opposed the pick.
- The 2022 incident at issue involved orders to feed a 17‑year‑old Telegram blogger sensitive material for an influence operation; the teen was detained for about 18 months before charges were dropped.
- Gofman is a career IDF officer and Netanyahu’s military secretary with little intelligence experience, and critics say installing a loyalist could politicize an agency that handles Israel’s foreign spying and covert operations.
- Petitions to Israel’s Supreme Court are expected from the teenager and civil groups, and CNN reports Gofman argued in internal talks that war could topple Iran’s regime, a prediction that has not come to pass.