Advisers to Innovation Minister Gila Gamliel asked Roman Gofman, Israel’s incoming Mossad chief, to move to the ministers’ and lawmakers’ dining room on Wednesday. They enlisted Dror Cohen, deputy director of the Knesset, to offer him a quieter, more private and dignified place to eat.
Gofman had arrived at the Knesset’s public kosher meat cafeteria and was sitting with Knesset employees, visitors and passersby. Despite repeated requests, he insisted on staying put. “I’m comfortable as one of the people,” he said several times, making clear he preferred the simple, unpretentious atmosphere. Even after additional persuasion attempts, Gofman chose to continue eating in the regular cafeteria alongside all the employees and visitors, and did not move to the area designated for senior officials.
Major General Roman Gofman, the prime minister’s military secretary, is set to officially take over as Mossad chief on June 2, 2026, replacing his predecessor David Barnea. His appointment, announced by Benjamin Netanyahu at the end of last year, was approved by the Committee for Senior Appointments—despite opposition from committee chairman Judge Asher Grunis—but still faces petitions at the Supreme Court over integrity concerns, mainly due to the affair involving his past handling of youth agent Uri Almakias.
Yesterday, Supreme Court justices ordered the Grunis committee to reconvene and discuss his appointment. Gofman’s attorney, Ohad Shalem, said “the appointment is on track for approval.” According to him, “The ruling is precedent-setting and complex, and it’s not clear there’s a majority for it. So the court made what amounts to a technical decision. The court is essentially saying ‘I’m not intervening in the committee, but something was wrong, so go fix the flaws so I don’t have to say that.'”