High Court hearing request to nix appointment of new Mossad chief

The High Court of Justice begins a hearing on a petition asking the court to cancel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s appointment of his military secretary Maj. Gen. Roman Gofman as the next head of the Mossad spy agency.

The petition filed by Ori Elmakayes and Telem–the Movement for Integrity in Government, focuses on alleged misconduct by Gofman in using Elmakayes for a so-called influence operation while he was a minor, and then failing to speak up for him when he was arrested, detained, and charged with severe espionage offenses.

The petitioners allege that Gofman lied about his involvement in approving the operation and his knowledge of the details, noting that chair of the Senior Appointments Advisory Committee, retired Supreme Court president Asher Grunis, voted against the appointment and strongly implied that Gofman had not told the truth about the incident.

Netanyahu has hit back against the petition as well as the attorney general’s opposition to Gofman’s appointment, insisting that only he has the authority under the law to make the appointment and rejecting the High Court’s power of judicial review over the appointment.

Earlier this week, Channel 13 News reported that outgoing Mossad chief David Barnea also opposes Gofman’s appointment, and wrote a strongly worded letter to Attorney General Gali Baharav-Miara on the issue.

Justice Daphne Barak-Erez is heading the judicial panel for the hearing, along with Justices Alex Stein and Ofer Grosskopf.