'Israel' says first contact with Libyan officials was 6 years ago

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Israeli Media + Al Mayadeen
28 Aug 2023 18:57
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Israeli media report that Washington is infuriated with "Israel" after last week’s meeting between the foreign ministers of "Israel" and Libya was exposed.

People burn a shirt showing Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and his Libyan counterpart Najla al-Mangoush in Tripoli, Libya, Sunday, Aug. 27, 2023 (AP)

Washington is infuriated with "Israel" after last week’s meeting between the foreign ministers of "Israel" and Libya was exposed, the Walla news site reported.

The Biden administration warned "Israel" that this step would act as a deterrence that prevents other countries from embarking on a normalization process with "Israel", the report added.

A US official even said the exposure “killed” the conversation with Libya about the recognition of "Israel".

Walla further reported that Biden was aware of the meeting and even encouraged Tripoli to attend, but he thought that the meeting was secret and that it would not come out to the open.

As for the Israeli Foreign Ministry’s explanation that the statement about the meeting was released in reaction to a leak, the US administration seemed to be unconvinced, saying that "Israel" could have just chosen not to comment on the leaks and resorted instead to minimize the damage.

Israeli media revealed, on Sunday evening, that lines of communication were established between certain Israeli and Libyan officials about six years ago, and the recent meeting between the Libyan Minister of Foreign Affairs, Najla al-Mangoush, and Israeli Foreign Minister, Eli Cohen, came in that context.

According to the Times of Israel, the Israeli announcement of the meeting between Cohen and al-Mangoush drove Libyan media to speculate and point fingers at Raphael Luzon, the chairman of the Union of Libyan Jews.

On Sunday, Luzon claimed that while he had no direct involvement in the latest meeting, he did recount the events of the first contacts he had facilitated between high-ranking Israeli and Libyan officials about six years ago.

Luzon described that in June 2017, he had arranged a meeting on the Greek island of Rhodes that connected and introduced delegations from "Israel" and Libya. At the time, he said, the then-social equality minister Gila Gamliel and then-communications minister Ayoub Kara, as well as deputy Knesset speaker Yehiel Bar and retired major general Yom Tov Samia, had represented "Israel" in the meeting.

It is worth noting that Luzon highlighted that Samia and Gamliel were both of Libyan extraction.

As for Libya, the Rhodes delegation was headed by the then-minister of media, culture, and antiquities Omar Al-Gawairi, who served under the eastern Libyan government of Abdurrahim El-Keib. However, Luzon also noted that the leader of the Western government leader Khalifa Al-Ghweil was also allegedly positive about the meeting between Israeli and Libya officials as he reportedly sent his "blessings to Rhodes by fax," as claimed by Luzon.

Al-Mangoush's dismissal sparks controversy over Libyan-Israeli ties

Earlier in the day, the office of al-Mangoush, announced that the meeting she held with Cohen was authorized by the Prime Minister of the Government of National Unity in Libya, Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh.

The revelation follows a governmental decision to dismiss al-Mangoush from her position as a result of the backlash that Libyan authorities faced following her meeting with her Israeli counterpart in Italy.

Al-Mangoush's office stated that the meeting with Cohen was authorized by Dbeibeh and came after the latter met with the Prime Minister of Italy, Giorgia Meloni, last month in Rome, where the secretive meeting was planned.

The office stated that in exchange for scheduling the meeting with Cohen, the Italian government promised Dbeibeh to reopen the Rome-Tripoli air route, which did indeed take place on July 10.

Furthermore, the Foreign Minister's office claims that Dbeibeh requested that al-Mangoush issue a statement saying the talks with Cohen were just a coincidence as news of the meeting broke out on Sunday night in Israeli media outlets.

Al-Magoush's office stressed that the Minister will not allow herself to be scapegoated, adding that she could resort to several options in the future to protect herself, as she stressed that the meeting was executed upon Dbeibeh's request.