The committee vetting IDF Maj.-Gen. Roman Gofman’s appointment as the next Mossad chief again cleared him to take up the post, submitting a supplementary opinion to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Tuesday after the High Court ordered it to take another look at the case.
A majority of the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee found that the additional material it reviewed did not raise concerns over Gofman’s integrity, and said it had, in fact, strengthened its support for the appointment. Committee chairman and former Supreme Court president Asher Grunis dissented, arguing in a minority opinion that further examination was still needed.
Netanyahu rejected the minority opinion, saying Gofman had been put through unnecessary hardship and urging the High Court not to delay his entry into office when outgoing Mossad chief David Barnea’s term ends, slated for June 2.
The petitions against the appointment center on the Ori Elmakayes affair and questions surrounding an alleged IDF-linked influence operation during Gofman’s time commanding the 210th Division.
This is a developing story.