A Libyan government source indicated today, Monday, that "Prime Minister of the National Unity Government, Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, has dismissed Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush after her meeting with Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen sparked protests." An Israeli official stated in a conversation with Reuters, "A meeting hosted by Italy between Cohen and Mangoush last week was pre-approved at the highest levels in Libya and lasted over an hour." The news about the meeting, published yesterday, prompted the Prime Minister of the National Unity Government in Libya, which does not recognize Israel, to suspend Foreign Minister Mangoush from her position.
In response to her suspension, Mangoush's office commented that the meeting with the Israeli Foreign Minister was conducted with Dbeibah's approval. The office stated that Dbeibah met with the Italian Prime Minister in Rome last July and agreed to the meeting with the Israelis in exchange for several interests, including opening a flight route from Rome to Tripoli.
Protests erupted in Libya, with demonstrators gathering in front of the Foreign Ministry in the capital, Tripoli, as well as in several other cities, condemning the meeting between Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush and her Israeli counterpart in Rome. The protesters called for the government to be overthrown and for those responsible for the meeting to be held accountable, while they raised the Palestinian flag at the Libyan Foreign Ministry building in Tripoli. Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah had issued a decision to suspend the Foreign Minister.
