Libya demanded Israel delete report about the meeting, but it was too late: Riots broke out, and accusations of treason were levelled at the foreign minister who reportedly fled to Turkey on a private jet.
Libya's prime minister fired Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush on Monday after Israel said its Foreign Minister Eli Cohen had met her last week despite the countries not having formal relations, according to a government source.
On Monday morning, Libyan newspaper Alwasat reported that Mangoush has left the country on a private airplane headed to Turkey, hours after the prime minister announced her suspension. Another minister in the government was appointed in her place, according to the report.
Libya's Foreign Ministry emphasized Monday that it rejected an invitation to a meeting by Israel, and that the meeting between the two sides was "unplanned and incidental." It further said that the meeting did not include "discussions, agreements, or consultations," and that Tripoli "outright rejects" normalization with Israel.
An Israeli official told Reuters the opposite, saying that the meeting was in fact agreed in advance "at the highest levels" in Libya and lasted more than an hour. This statement came in response to the Libyan government's claim that the meeting was short and unplanned.
Furthermore, two senior Libyan government officials told The Associated Press the prime minister did know about the talks between his foreign minister and the Israeli chief diplomat. One of the officials said Dbeibah gave the green light for the meeting last month when he was on a visit to Rome. The prime minister’s office arranged the encounter in coordination with Mangoush, he said.
The second official said the meeting lasted for about two hours and Mangoush briefed the prime minister directly after her return to Tripoli. The official said the meeting crowned U.S.-brokered efforts to have Libya join a series of Arab countries establishing diplomatic ties with Israel.
The official said normalization of relations between Libya and Israel was first discussed in a meeting between Dbeibah and CIA Director William Burns, who visited the Libyan capital in January.
The Libyan premier gave initial approval for joining the U.S.-brokered Abraham Accords, but he was concerned about public backlash in a country known for its past support for the Palestinian cause, the official said.
Both officials spoke on condition of anonymity for their safety.
Israel's statement on the meeting, in which it said the ministers had discussed possible cooperation, prompted protests in Libya, which does not recognize Israel.
Syrian media reported that protesters set fire to a residence of PM Dbeibeh. According to a report in the BBC, following reports of the meeting, demonstrators blocked roads in the capital, burned tires and hoisted Palestinian flags.
The BBC report further stated that the head of Libya's parliament accused Mangoush of treason, calling for an emergency parliament meeting. Libya's presidential council said that the meeting between the two ministers "in no way reflects the foreign policy of the Libyan state," and that it is a "violation of Libya's law which views normalization with the 'Zionist entity' a criminal offense."
According to Libyan law, the penalty for having communications with Israel is up to nine years in prison.
Hamas' spokesman Hazem Qassem said that Hamas "appreciates the official and popular Libyan position of rejecting the Libyan foreign minister's meeting with the foreign ministry of the Zionist entity.”
He also called on officials, people and trade unions in all Arab and Muslim countries to reject any steps toward normalization with Israel, as this causes “damage to the Palestinian cause.”
Palestinian Islamic Jihad said that they are “confident that the fraternal Libyan people do not accept such meetings, and they are a free people who reject normalization and will not be politically blackmailed or compromised on their firm position on the Palestinian cause, despite the harsh internal conditions that Libya is going through,” according to Lebanese news station Al-Mayadeen.
The official announcement of the meeting between Cohen and Mangoush was released Sunday afternoon, and shortly afterwards on the FM's official Arabic and English-language accounts. The first sign that the announcement was problematic for the Libyan government came an hour later, when Israel's Foreign Ministry had to delete the Arabic statement following an urgent request from the Libyan side.
The post, however, was removed too late. Prompted by Cohen, the ministry already distributed the message to Israeli media, and it was widely quoted in Arabic media shortly after.
In response to the reports of Mangoush leaving Syria, Israeli opposition lawmaker Benny Gantz slammed Benjamin Netanyahu's government on Twitter, saying that "when you do everything for PR and headlines, with zero responsibility and forward-thinking, this is what happens."
"Israel's foreign relations are a serious and delicate matter, especially when it's with Arab country ... with which we don't have official [diplomatic] relations," he added.
Opposition leader Yair Lapid said in a statement that "this is what happens when you appoint Eli Cohen, a man with no background in the field, as foreign minister." He called the incident "amateurish, irresponsible and a serious failure in judgement."
"This is a morning of national disgrace and endangering of human life for a headline," he added.
Since 2020 Israel has moved to normalize ties with the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco and Sudan through the so-called "Abraham accords" brokered by the United States.
"I spoke with the foreign minister about the great potential for the two countries from their relations," Israel's Cohen said in a statement.
Cohen said he had spoken to Mangoush about the importance of preserving Jewish heritage in Libya.
The meeting between Cohen and Mangoush was facilitated by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani, Israel's foreign ministry said, adding they had discussed possible cooperation and Israeli aid in humanitarian issues, agriculture and water management.
Libyan foreign policy is complicated by its years of conflict and its bitter internal divisions over control of government and the legitimacy of any moves made by the Tripoli administration.
The Government of National Unity was installed in early 2021 through a U.N.-backed peace process but its legitimacy has been challenged since early 2022 by the eastern-based parliament after a failed attempt to hold an election.
Previous foreign policy moves by the GNU, including agreements it has reached with Turkey, have been rejected by the parliament and subjected to legal challenges.
The Presidency Council, which functions as head of state, issued a statement on Sunday asking GNU Prime Minister Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah for clarification on what had taken place.
The High State Council, which holds an advisory role in Libyan politics, voiced its "surprise" at the reports of the meeting and said those responsible "should be held accountable."