2023-08-28 17:58:46
Tripoli: The Israeli Foreign Ministry said that Libyan Foreign Minister Najla Muhammad Mankhous held secret talks with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen in Italy last week. On Sunday, Eli Cohen himself revealed the information regarding the discussion with Najla in Rome.
With this, agitation is taking place all over the country. Aljazeera channel reported that a senior Libyan government source said that Najla was fired from the ministry following this. This is the first time that a senior Libyan diplomat has held talks with an Israeli representative.
Meanwhile, Prime Minister Abdul Hameed Dabiba announced that Najla has been temporarily suspended from the ministerial post. Dabiba also informed that he has been replaced by Youth Minister Fathallah Alzani. He also announced that an ‘administrative inquiry’ would be conducted once morest Najla.
The two ministers held talks in Rome last week in the presence of Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani. Cohen’s disclosure has also sparked protests in Israel. Cohen’s action was criticized as a violation of diplomatic etiquette. Channel 12 noted that Cohen’s revelations caused a major collapse in Israel’s credibility.
At the same time, the Libyan Ministry of Foreign Affairs said that Najla was not ready to negotiate with anyone representing Israel in Italy. During the meeting with the Italian foreign minister, the ministry said in a statement that the meeting with Cohen was informal and there was no discussion or agreement of any kind. He accused Israel of attempting to portray the incident as a discussion. The statement said they rejected all attempts to recognize the Zionist state and reiterated that Libya will always be with Palestine.
In Libya, which does not recognize diplomatic relations with Israel, under a 1957 law establishing ties with Israel is a crime punishable by up to nine years in prison.
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