Alwaght- Libyan Foreign Minister Najla al-Mangoush has been dismissed and fled to Turkey amid a growing uproar in the African country over news that she had met with her Israeli regime's foreign minister in Italy last week.
Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah announced al-Mangoush’s dismissal after an earlier announcement of an investigation into her meeting with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen last week in Rome, Al Jazeera reported.
Al-Mangoush has been the subject of much speculation since yesterday’s announcement by Cohen, which set off large protests across Libya.
Salmin Asaad, Mangoush’s aide, said over WhatsApp the minister flew to Turkey because of “safety concerns,”, saying that “the people were angry” and setting fires in protest.
The political row broke out Sunday after Israeli regime’s foreign ministry said the two countries’ top diplomats met the previous week in a meeting hosted by Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani.
"I spoke with the foreign minister about the great potential for the two countries from their relations,” Israeli regime's Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said in a statement from Israel’s foreign ministry, adding that it was the first such diplomatic initiative between the two countries.
The news was not well-received in Tel Aviv, with commentators remarking that Cohen’s behavior was a breach of acceptable diplomatic practice.
Israel’s Channel 12 commented that Cohen’s announcement had seriously damaged the regime’s credibility.
Opposition politician Yair Lapid agreed, saying on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, that Cohen’s action had made countries doubt the suitability of Tel Aviv as a foreign relations partner.
The countries of the world are looking this morning at the irresponsible leak of the Israel – Libya foreign ministers meeting, and asking themselves: Is this a country with which we can conduct foreign relations? Is this a country you can trust? This is what happens when you appoint Eli Cohen, a person with no background in the field, as foreign minister for only one year.
The North African country does not recognize Israeli regime nor does it have diplomatic relations with Tel Aviv. Under a 1957 Libyan law, dealing with Israel is punishable by up to nine years in prison.
