[56462] Mossad Chief Appointment Storm: Sharp Conflict Between David Barnea and Roman Gofman

Mossad Chief Appointment Storm: Sharp Conflict Between David Barnea and Roman Gofman

The security establishment is in an uproar against the backdrop of the sharp and active opposition of Mossad Chief David Barnea to the appointment of his designated successor, Roman Gofman. As reported by Amir Ettinger & Yuval Segev, Barnea forwarded a letter of opposition to the Attorney General and the High Court of Justice without being asked to do so, a move that sparked outrage from Netanyahu, who noted that the move is outside his authority.

At the center of the dispute is Barnea's letter to the High Court of Justice, in which he defines the appointment as a "serious danger," as published by ynet News. Avishai Grinzaig - Updates and Michael Shemesh raised serious questions regarding the fact that Barnea wrote that the letter was sent "at the request of the Supreme Court" – a claim that has no basis, as the court did not submit such a request. Shemesh raised three possibilities for the motive: intentional deception toward Barnea, intentionally stating something that is not true, or an attempt by Barnea to "create a justification for a move" that is improper.

Conversely, Amit Segal reveals that a letter from Maj. Gen. (res.) Amir Baram, Gofman's former commander, will be presented to the High Court, contradicting Barnea's claims. According to Baram, Gofman was not involved in handling agents, the information he transferred was not classified, and everything was done with approval without any ethical flaw. Support for this position came from the testimony of Col. G in the Gronis Committee, as published by Netael Bandel and colleagues, according to which Gofman's involvement in the Almakayes affair was "negligible" and that it was a "minor deviation."

Avishai Grinzaig notes that the Mossad Chief performed a "180-degree turn" in his position regarding Gofman, after initially saying in the committee that he was not familiar with the details and was not expressing an opinion. Other sources noted that additional senior security officials claim that Barnea presented "incorrect facts" in his letter.