Tripoli, Aug. 29, (dpa/GNA) – Libya scrambled on Monday to explain why its foreign minister met with her Israeli counterpart despite the two countries having no formal diplomatic links.
The news of the meeting caused an uproar in Libya and prompted protesters to take to the streets late Sunday, local media reported. They torched Israeli flags and chanted slogans in solidarity with the Palestinians.
Libya’s Prime Minister Abdul-Hamid Dbeibeh suspended Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush after she met with Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen, according to the Libyan news portal al-Wasat.
The Libyan Foreign Ministry denied Mangoush held formal talks with Cohen and said the meeting in Rome was a “casual, non-official and previously unprepared meeting.”
In an online statement, the ministry said it “fully and categorically” rejected any normalization of relations with Israel.
Under a 1957 Libyan law, dealing with Israel is punishable by up to nine years in prison.
Al-Wasat reported on Monday, citing security circles, that the foreign minister has flown to Turkey on a government plane.
The source added that the minister left the airport with the help of the Internal Security Agency (ISA) but Libyan authorities have denied this.
The ISA said in a statement on its Facebook page that the foreign minister is on the list of those banned from travelling “until she complies with the investigations” and denied “allowing or facilitating” Mangoush’s travel.
Government spokesman, Mohamed Hamouda, refused to confirm to dpa if the foreign minister has actually left the country or if she was sacked officially from her post.
The Libyan Al-Massar channel quoting a source in the Presidential Council, said al-Manqoush’s dismissal took place in coordination between the Council’s president, Muhammad al-Manfi, and Dbeibeh.
Menawhile, on Monday afternoon, Al-Munfi and Dbeibeh visited the headquarters of the Palestinian embassy in Tripoli.
A source told dpa that Dbeibeha assured the Palestinian officials that there is no normalization with Israel, and that everything that happened “was the fault of a minister who had no diplomatic experience.”
The parliament based in eastern Libya called for an emergency meeting on Monday to discuss what it termed as the “legal and ethical crime against the Libyan people,” referring to the reported encounter.
In contrast, Israeli broadcaster Kan, citing Israeli officials, reported that the meeting between Cohen and Mangoush had been coordinated with the highest-ranking Libyan officials and ran on for close to two hours.
The meeting was apparently held in the Italian foreign minister’s office, the broadcaster reported.
One discussion topic between Cohen and Mangoush apparently touched on the possibility of normalizing relations between Israel and Libya, notably that the Libyan prime minister would like ties with Israel to serve as a bridgehead to facilitate Libyan relations with the United States and the West.
Israeli opposition politicians have sharply criticized how Cohen handled the meeting with his Libyan counterpart.
The country’s foreign relations are a “serious and delicate matter,” especially when dealing with an Arab country, opposition politician Benny Gantz wrote on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday.
“When you do everything for PR and headlines without taking responsibility and thinking ahead, this is exactly what happens,” Ganz added.
Merav Michaeli, leader of the opposition Labour Party, said, “Minister Eli Cohen should put his keys on the table and resign. The damage he has done is unprecedented. One hasty publication has ruined the life of the Libyan minister who has had to flee to Turkey, and has caused international damage to Israel.”
Protesters reportedly set fire to the residence of Dbeibeh and called for his resignation on Sunday night. It was not immediately clear if Dbeibeh was at the residence.
Libya has been in turmoil since the overthrow of dictator Moamer Gaddafi in 2011. Countless militias are still fighting for power and influence in the oil-rich country. The conflict is further fuelled by foreign states.
Currently, two rival governments are fighting for power in the country. All diplomatic efforts to settle the conflict peacefully have failed so far.
GNA