Libya’s prosecutor to investigate secret meeting with Israel

TRIPOLI, Libya

Libya’s chief prosecutor will form a fact-finding committee to investigate a recent secret meeting between the country’s foreign minister and her Israeli counterpart.

Najla Al-Mangoush met with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen in Rome last month, the first such meeting between the two countries.

The meeting has triggered a storm of anger and protests in Libya, with Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh sacking his foreign minister.

In a statement, General Prosecutor Al-Siddiq Al-Sour said the committee “will measure the amount of damage inflicted on the interests of the Libyan state.”

He said the committee will also look at breaches of the rules of boycotting Israel by the foreign minister.

According to the statement, the fact-finding committee will also collect all related materials about the meeting, including listening to all those involved in the secret meeting.

Libya does not recognize Israel and does not have diplomatic ties with Tel Aviv. It is forbidden by law to have relations with Israel.

Six Arab countries have diplomatic relations with Israel starting with Egypt in 1979, Jordan in 1994, the United Arab Emirates (UAE), Bahrain, Sudan, and Morocco in 2020.

*Writing by Ahmed Asmar in Ankara