Libya’s prime minister suspended his foreign minister, Najla al-Mangoush, after news on Sunday of a meeting last week with his Israeli counterpart sparked protests in Tripoli and other Libyan cities.
Ms. Mangoush “is temporarily suspended” and subject to an “administrative investigation” by a commission chaired by the Minister of Justice, the government of Abdelhamid Dbeibah announced in a press release on Sunday evening.
A few hours earlier, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen had announced that he had met in Rome last week with his Libyan counterpart during an “unprecedented” meeting.
“I have spoken with the Minister of Foreign Affairs about the great potential of the relationship between the two countries,” Cohen said, according to a statement from his office.
“What happened in Rome was a fortuitous and unofficial meeting, during a meeting with his Italian counterpart (Antonio Tajani), which did not involve any discussion, agreement or consultation”, reacted the ministry. of Libyan Foreign Affairs in a press release.
The minister recalled “in a clear and unambiguous manner Libya’s position with regard to the Palestinian cause”, added the ministry, assuring that Ms. Mangoush had “refused to meet with any party representing the entity Israeli” and had “remained categorically firm on this position”.
The Libyan ministry also denounced an “exploitation by the Hebrew and international media” of this “incident” which they are trying to present as “a meeting or talks”.
Libya, plunged into chaos since the fall of Muammar Gaddafi’s regime in 2011, does not maintain diplomatic relations with Israel.
After the Israeli announcement of the meeting, Libya’s Presidential Council (PC), a body with certain executive powers, demanded “clarifications” from the government, according to the Libya al-Ahrar television channel, citing correspondence confirmed by the CP spokesperson Najwa Wheba.
For the CP, “this does not reflect the foreign policy of the Libyan state, does not represent Libyan national constants and is considered a violation of Libyan laws which criminalize normalization with the Zionist entity”.
The Israeli minister said he discussed with Ms. Mangoush “the importance of preserving the heritage of Libyan Judaism through the repair of synagogues and Jewish cemeteries in this country”.
This is a “first step in relations between Israel and Libya”, said this minister, considering that “Libya’s size and strategic position offer an immense opportunity for the State of Israel”. This meeting took place under the auspices of Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, according to the Israeli press release.
Most of Libya’s Jewish population left that country in the twenty years following World War II, mainly to go to Israel.
A few hundred Jews were still living in Libya at the time of the 1969 coup by Muammar Gaddafi, who then expelled them, had their property confiscated and destroyed synagogues.
Israel has normalized its relations with certain Arab nations in recent years, within the framework of the Abraham Accords under the aegis of the United States. However, the current policy of the government of Benjamin Netanyahu has been the subject of criticism from Arab countries following the wave of violence in the occupied West Bank as well as in the face of the continuation of colonization in this territory.
Spontaneous protests erupted Sunday in Tripoli and in several suburbs of the capital in a sign of refusal of normalization with Israel, then they spread to other cities where young people cut roads, burned tires and brandished the Palestinian flag.
Downtown Tripoli was paralyzed by protesters, one group of whom marched to the Foreign Ministry to demand Ms Mangoush’s resignation, according to videos posted on social media.
Encouraged by the drivers of passing cars, the demonstrators tried to break into the ministry compound, waving Palestinian flags.
28/08/2023 09:29:26 – © 2023 AFP