Libya's Dbeibeh affirms rejection of any form of normalization
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The head of Libya's Government of National Unity says the details of the secret meeting between al-Mangoush and Cohen will be unveiled through the ongoing investigations.
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The head of Libya's Government of National Unity, Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, during a meeting in Tripoli, on August 31, 2023 (Government of National Unity)
The head of Libya's Government of National Unity, Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, expressed on Thursday his rejection of normalization with the Zionist entity, in any form, following last week's controversy over his Foreign Minister's secret meeting with the Israeli occupation's Foreign Minister Eli Cohen in the Italian capital, Rome.
During a televised cabinet meeting in the capital, Tripoli, Dbeibeh stressed Libyan Foreign Minister Najla al-Mangoush's bias toward the interests of the people and defending the interests of the country. He continued that this requires her to bear the consequences of the latest violation, adding that the details of what happened in Rome will be unveiled through the ongoing investigations.
Dbeibeh described al-Mangoush's secret meeting with Cohen as a "big deal", even if it was a "side meeting", claiming that there were some "sides that exploited the incident to settle political scores and cause chaos in the country."
"We affirm our rejection of any form of normalization," Dbeibeh said.
"Long live Libya, long live Palestine, and long live the Palestinian cause in all of our hearts."
It is noteworthy that al-Mangoush's office claimed that the meeting took place with the permission of Dbeibeh.
The Libyan National Authority against Normalization and Supporting the Resistance previously condemned al-Mangoush's secret meeting in Rome with "one of the criminals of the Israeli entity," in reference to Cohen, demanding that legal measures be taken against her and Dbeibeh, in addition to passing a law criminalizing normalization.
Against the backdrop of al-Mangoush's meeting with the Israeli occupation Foreign Minister, Dbeibeh issued a decision to officially dismiss the country's top diplomat and refer her to an investigation.
On Wednesday, media reports revealed that al-Mangoush had fled Libya to Turkey after news about her meeting with Cohen broke out, as the scandal sparked protests in Tripoli and other Libyan cities.
Angry #Libyans took to the streets after last week’s meeting between the foreign ministers of "Israel" and #Libya was exposed. pic.twitter.com/VrwWGrBOUp
— Al Mayadeen English (@MayadeenEnglish) August 28, 2023
Israeli media reported that the US administration conveyed its strong protest to the Israeli occupation government after the news about the secret meeting was revealed, pointing out that the revelation severely harms Washington’s efforts to work toward normalization.
Read more: After Libya controversy, Netanyahu says must approve secret meetings
