Former Mossad officer Avner Avraham said in a Wednesday morning interview on Channel 14 that Roman Gofman’s appointment as head of Mossad did not disrupt the agency’s work, despite reports that he has brought in outside advisers. Speaking with Dana Varon, Avraham said the advisers have security clearance and are simply supporting Gofman in the background as an extension of his own staff.
“Gofman basically brought in external advisers who of course have security clearance,” Avraham said. “They are accompanying him in the background and serving as an extension of his own staff.” He stressed that operations continue as usual, saying, “He is not stopping anything, the operations are continuing.” To explain the chain of command, he compared Mossad to a restaurant, with the chief as the manager and the deputy chief as the head chef.
Avraham also addressed the removal of the outgoing deputy head of Mossad, saying that once the deputy left, or was dismissed, Gofman was left on his own. Even so, he said he has full confidence in the new chief: “Gofman has a knife between his teeth and he will succeed enormously. He thinks outside the box.”
He said some longtime Mossad employees may be disappointed when an outsider is brought in to lead the agency, especially when they expected an internal deputy appointment, but added that this is understandable. Avraham ended by describing Mossad as a strong, disciplined organization whose people will keep doing their work, and said of Gofman, “He fits the role of Mossad chief perfectly.”
