Story perspectives

Attorney General Challenges Mossad Chief Appointment Over Ori Elmakayes Scandal

5/13/2026

Summary

Story summary

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara filed a High Court petition saying the appointment of Major General Roman Gofman as Mossad chief is “extreme and glaring unreasonableness,” citing the Ori Elmakayes affair involving a 17-year-old used in an unauthorized 2022 operation.
Outgoing Mossad director David Barnea sent a confidential letter to the attorney general criticizing Gofman’s appointment.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appointed Gofman as Mossad chief with committee approval to start June 2, 2026.

History

Historical Context

The 1973 Lillehammer affair, in which Mossad agents mistakenly killed waiter Ahmed Bouchiki in Norway, exposed safe-house networks and forced Prime Minister Golda Meir to suspend Operation Wrath of God. Six agents were arrested and five later convicted, prompting tighter oversight of Israeli covert actions. Today, the contested appointment of Major General Roman Gofman revives those accountability debates.

1 of 2

Story summary

Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara filed a High Court petition saying the appointment of Major General Roman Gofman as Mossad chief is “extreme and glaring unreasonableness,” citing the Ori Elmakayes affair involving a 17-year-old used in an unauthorized 2022 operation.
Outgoing Mossad director David Barnea sent a confidential letter to the attorney general criticizing Gofman’s appointment.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu appointed Gofman as Mossad chief with committee approval to start June 2, 2026.

1 / 2