Netanyahu’s risky gamble with Israel’s security

Pars Today — By appointing the inexperienced Roman Gofman as head of Mossad, Netanyahu overlooked three qualified internal successors and tied Israel’s security to personal loyalty.

Benjamin Netanyahu has appointed Roman Gofman as head of Mossad, an officer with no experience in intelligence or special operations. His only previous role was serving as Netanyahu’s military secretary for a year and a half.

According to Pars Today, citing Israel Hayom, with this appointment Netanyahu overlooked three prominent internal candidates who had played key roles in all of Mossad’s recent major achievements. Mossad is a specialized professional institution, not a political post. Appointing someone based on personal loyalty rather than professional merit puts Israel’s security at risk.

This is the second consecutive case: after appointing David Zini as head of Shin Bet (Shabak), who also lacked the necessary qualifications, now it is Mossad’s turn. Netanyahu apparently equates a high military rank with intelligence expertise. Gofman has never served in an intelligence role and has never led any covert or special operations.

Perhaps as military secretary, he oversaw certain missions, but this is far from real knowledge and experience. His close proximity to Netanyahu and the loyalty cultivated in the prime minister’s office appear to be the main reasons for this appointment, rather than the professional justifications presented in the official statement.

This decision is not only a blatant insult to qualified internal candidates but also reflects a general distrust of the entire Mossad organization — even though Netanyahu has repeatedly praised the agency. At Mossad headquarters, from the highest to the lowest ranks, anger and frustration over Netanyahu’s move are widespread.