Mossad chief backs controversial Bedouin industrial zone
Mossad Director Roman Gofman has thrown his support behind a disputed plan for a 200-dunam industrial zone near Bir Hadaj, arguing that jobs could strengthen security and weaken criminal elements
Assessment
Roman Gofman is weighing in on a local development dispute with national security implications. The Mossad chief argues that economic opportunity in the Bedouin town of Bir Hadaj can undercut organized crime and improve state control. This puts a security agency's credibility behind a plan that has drawn opposition from environmental and some local groups. The question now is whether Gofman's backing shifts the political calculus.