Israel hopes that the riots in Libya, as well as the waves of reports about the secret meeting between Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and his (former) counterpart in Rome last week, will calm down within a few days. A political source told Israel Hayom on Monday that the goal is to return to the cloak of secrecy surrounding the relationship between Israel and the national consensus government in Libya, since publications about it harm its development. Even before the meeting between Cohen and al-Mankush, the publication of which caused a storm, a senior Israeli figure met last year with Prime Minister Abdel Hamid al-Dubeibah.
Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Photo: Oren Ben Hakon
In fact, in recent years the Mossad has organized quite a few meetings between senior Israeli and Libyan officials under the required cloak of secrecy, with Libyans seeing Israel as a window of opportunity for rapprochement with the West, first and foremost with the United States. The last meeting between Cohen and his counterpart in Rome last week was organized by the Foreign Ministry and was defined in Israel as "born as a result of hard work by the Foreign Ministry, which coordinated discreetly over the past month." It was even called a "historic achievement."
But the publicity of the meeting in Israel led to a wave of riots in Libya, and al-Dubeiba's opponents also led to his denial of what Israel sees as a positive development.
The Foreign Ministry denied leaking the meeting yesterday, saying that "the foreign minister and the foreign ministry are committed to expanding Israel's foreign relations. Contrary to reports, the leak about the meeting with Libya's foreign minister did not come from the Foreign Ministry or the foreign minister's office." However, it should be noted that the details of the meeting were indeed given to reporters on Sunday evening by the ministry at length, after they had already been leaked to one media outlet. What has become an arena for political clashes between the opposition and the coalition in Israel has led to more serious incidents in Libya as well as a war of versions between the Libyan prime minister and his foreign minister.
Demonstrations in Libya against Foreign Minister's Meeting with Eli Cohen and Normalization with Israel
While the Libyan prime minister denied knowing about the meeting, the minister, who fled to Turkey, said the meeting had been coordinated and conducted with his knowledge. According to news agency reports, a few hours later she was even fired from her post, apparently in an attempt to calm the anger on the Libyan streets. Political sources told Israel Hayom that "the meeting with the foreign minister was coordinated with Libya's most senior officials" and that "the Libyan government sees Israel as a ladder to strengthen their recognition and legitimacy in the West."
It is important to note that while in the past only the Egyptian-backed group was in contact with Israel, the meeting between Cohen and Al-Mankush is an expression of the fact that the group supported by Turkia and recognized in the West as the legitimate government of Libya is now interested in contact with Jerusalem in order to make its way to Washington and the West. In other words, now Libya's two main blocs have lifted the boycott of Israel. This is an important and positive dramatic development.
Abdelhamid Dbeibah, prime minister of the Libyan government in Tripoli, photo: AP
The Israeli opposition leveraged the events to bash the government and the foreign minister, completely contrary to Israeli interests. Opposition leader Yair Lapid said, "As prime minister and foreign minister, there are meetings and conversations I have held that no one will ever know about. Conducting the foreign policy of a country like Israel is a complex and sometimes explosive event that must be managed carefully and wisely. That's not what's happening now. The countries of the world are looking this morning at the irresponsible leak of the meeting of Israel-Libya foreign ministers, and ask themselves, 'Is this a country with which foreign relations can be conducted?'
"That's what happens when you appoint Eli Cohen, a man with no background in the field, as foreign minister for only a year. They use another minister, Ron Dermer, as the alternative foreign minister, put a third minister, Israel Katz, on hold, entrust international information to a fourth minister, Galit Distal Otabrian, and let a fifth minister, Amichai Shikli, manage relations with world Jewry. The incident with the Libyan foreign minister is amateurish, irresponsible, and a serious failure of judgment. This is a morning of national disgrace and risking human lives for the sake of a headline," Lapid attacked the government's conduct.
The 37th government. "A national disgrace for a title", photo: Oren Ben Hakon
Benny Gantz, chairman of the state camp, similarly criticized: "Israel's foreign relations are a sensitive and serious matter, certainly when it comes to relations with Arab countries, and certainly those with which we have no official relations. When you do everything for PR and headlines, with zero responsibility and forward thinking - that's what happens. In foreign relations or security, economics or education. Netanyahu's government is a negligent and failed government that must end its days."
A senior minister responded to the criticism this morning with mockery, saying, "I don't recall either of the two bringing a new agreement to Israel or an international achievement that they can be proud of and then criticize the incumbent government."
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