Controversy Brews as Libya's PM Faces Scrutiny over Potential Normalization of Israel

Reports have surfaced implicating Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah in an alleged attempt to normalize relations with Israel, triggering a wave of controversy and calls for his dismissal. The revelation has ignited a political firestorm in a country already grappling with internal strife and political divisions, Al Jazeera reports.

Rabat – Reports have surfaced implicating Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah in an alleged attempt to normalize relations with Israel, triggering a wave of controversy and calls for his dismissal. The revelation has ignited a political firestorm in a country already grappling with internal strife and political divisions, Al Jazeera reports.

Abdul Hamid Dbeibah, the leader of the internationally recognized and Tripoli-based Government of National Unity (GNU), dismissed Foreign Minister Najla al-Mangoush after her clandestine meeting with Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen in Rome last week was leaked to the press.

The ousted minister subsequently fled the country while the Israeli foreign ministry issued a statement acknowledging the meeting and expressing a desire for improved relations between the two nations.

The exposure of this meeting has not only inflamed public sentiment but has also intensified Libya’s ongoing political turmoil. Street protests erupted in Tripoli and other cities on Sunday night, with demonstrators burning tires and displaying Palestinian flags in a display of anger against the Tripoli-based government’s potential normalization of Israel.

Libya’s internal political strife has provided Dbeibah’s critics with additional ammunition to question his leadership at a pivotal juncture for the interim government. With the situation already precarious, the controversy surrounding the alleged normalization effort threatens to exacerbate existing divisions.

The episode has not been without repercussions beyond Libya’s borders. Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen faced criticism for publicly discussing the meeting, eliciting displeasure from the acting US ambassador to Israel.

According to Israeli Channel 13, the US administration’s response, though measured, has placed blame on Cohen for the disclosure. In response, Cohen acknowledged the issue and pledged that Israel would no longer publicly address it.

Adding fuel to Libya’s already raging political inferno, the reported involvement of Prime Minister Dbeibah in discussions to normalize relations with Israel has ignited outrage and calls for his removal. Under a 1957 law in Libya, it is illegal to have formal relations with Israel.