Top Spy Chief Appointed by Jerusalem
Following six months of pushback, Israel’s Attorney General Avichai Mandelblit on Monday agreed to authorize the appointment of a new Mossad chief, despite the absence of a functioning government in Jerusalem. David Barnea, who has served as the intelligence agency’s second-in-command for over two years, was chosen to replace Yossi Cohen, who has headed the spy organization since 2016. Barnea, 56, who joined the Mossad in 1996, was picked by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu and approved by a special appointment panel back in December but, according to Israeli rules and precedent, senior government positions cannot be filled by a transition government. On Monday, Mandelblit explained that extraordinary circumstances, namely the fact that no government is expected to be formed before Cohen’s departure next week, forced him to OK the move.
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