The Senior Appointments Advisory Committee on Tuesday re-approved the appointment of Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman as the next head of the Mossad, after it interviewed two key figures at the heart of a controversial affair Gofman was involved in during his service as commander of the IDF’s 210th Division in 2022.

Three of the committee members were of the opinion that Gofman’s appointment should go ahead, while committee chair, retired Supreme Court president Asher Grunis, dissented, saying that the incident in question needed further clarification.

The renewed deliberations by the advisory committee were held at the request of the High Court of Justice following a hearing on petitions against Gofman’s appointment, which argued that he had lied about the affair, which constituted a violation of the ethical code of conduct for senior officials.

The court had recommended, specifically, that the committee review an affidavit submitted by a military intelligence officer identified only by the initial “Gimmel,” who had knowledge of the affair, and to interview Gimmel himself.

The court also recommended that the committee hear from Ori Elmakayes, a petitioner against Gofman’s appointment and the individual at the center of the allegations against the general.

The committee interviewed both of them, as well as Gofman, before reaching its decision to uphold his appointment. The three members who backed Gofman’s appointment said in a statement that accusations against him were “baseless.”

In 2022, the IDF’s 210th Division, commanded by Gofman, authorized Elmakayes to publish intelligence information on his Telegram channel in an online influence operation.

Elmakayes, who was 17 at the time and therefore a minor, was subsequently arrested and indicted for espionage when the Shin Bet became aware of the information he was publishing, without being aware that he was working with the IDF.

Elmakayes was only exonerated 18 months........

© The Times of Israel