Questions linger
The Hero Who Left a Boy Behind: The Moral Failure of Future of Head of Mossad, Roman Gofman
He is a decorated warrior and a sharp strategist, but his abandonment of a young intelligence asset reveals a deep ethical rot. The blind support he receives proves the Israeli Right has traded values for power.
Roman Gofman is a brave warrior; of that, there is no doubt. He is widely regarded as intelligent, possessing a relentless work ethic. We need not concern ourselves with whether he grew up within the Mossad or the IDF, nor are questions about his English proficiency relevant here.
What matters, and what should haunt us, is one of the most difficult stories the Israeli security establishment has known in decades. It is a story that remains unknown to many Israelis, despite having been exposed in an investigation by Channel 13.
It is the story of Ori Elmakayes, a gifted and exceptional teenager. He was recruited by Roman Gofman, then a Division Commander, to engineer an influence operation via his Telegram channel. This brilliant young man became an asset operated by the State of Israel’s intelligence services, under the direct guidance of Brigadier General Gofman.
The operation was a dizzying success. However, at a certain stage, likely due to a severe lack of coordination with the Shin Bet (ISA), the young man found himself thrown into the Shin Bet’s interrogation basements for two months. He allegedly endured severe torture while his interrogators refused to believe his plea: that he was being operated by elements within the IDF.
Throughout this ordeal, Gofman effectively abandoned the boy. When the truth finally came to light, that he was indeed the man running the teenager, reports suggest he provided contradictory versions of events.
Yet, the Israeli Right does not care. This camp, which blindly follows Benjamin Netanyahu while daring to call itself "Right wing" (despite Netanyahu being arguably Left Center), is driven by a single motivation: to stick a finger in the eye of the Left. The ethical questions regarding Gofman, and the moral standards he failed to meet, simply do not interest them.
In the Gofman and Elmakayes affair, as in so many others, the Israeli Right has transformed. It has become what it once despised in the Left: a movement interested solely in power.
Roman Gofman may be a brave fighter. But he violated the most sacred ethical foundation of the security establishment:
You do not leave people behind.