Allied Intelligence — 2026-05-29

Israel AG Petitions High Court to Block Gofman Appointment as Mossad Chief Over Influence Operation Cover-Up

BLUFWhether the High Court intervenes before Gofman's June 2 start is genuinely uncertain, and judicial silence would effectively cement Netanyahu's claim that intelligence appointments lie beyond court review.

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara filed a submission to the High Court on Thursday asking it to annul the government's appointment of Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman as Mossad chief 12. Her filing argues the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee's renewed 3-1 approval on Tuesday ignored a May 2022 document showing Gofman told an IDF investigator he had no knowledge of his division's use of blogger Ori Elmakayes in an influence operation 12. Baharav-Miara further contends Gofman failed to disclose the division's connection to Elmakayes after the blogger was arrested on espionage charges and held for 44 days, yet later intervened with investigators on behalf of the officer who ran the operation 12. Committee chairman and retired Supreme Court President Asher Grunis dissented from the approval; Netanyahu has rejected the challenge and argues the court lacks authority over his intelligence appointments, with Gofman's term set to begin June 2 234.

Analysis
The sharpest driver is behavioral: Gofman called investigators to shield the officer who ran the operation while staying silent through Elmakayes's 44 days in detention as a minor, a pattern documented across three independent primary outlets with broad convergence. Whether the court acts before June 2 is genuinely uncertain: one prior remand and the corroborated documentary record provide leverage, but the committee's post-remand 3-1 re-approval and Netanyahu's jurisdictional challenge offer credible grounds to defer, and the majority's reading that Gofman's denial addressed classified leaks rather than broader operational contact supplies a factual off-ramp that sidesteps the constitutional question entirely. Analytic confidence is moderate, resting on convergent real-time documents and direct testimony but constrained by the court's opacity. A ruling blocking the appointment forces a leadership delay or constitutional confrontation; standing aside insulates future prime ministerial intelligence picks from legal challenge.

4 sources

AG calls on High Court to overturn appointment of Gofman as new Mossad chief - Times of Israel
Attorney-General asks High Court to block Gofman appointment despite approval - The Jerusalem Post
High Court discusses the appointment of Roman Gofman as Israel's Mossad Chief - i24NEWS
Israeli attorney general opposes appointment of next Mossad chief - Arab News