International: Secret meeting between Israel and Libya in Rome creates diplomatic scandal and tensions in Washington
The Israeli authorities have announced a secret meeting between the Israeli Foreign Minister, Eli Cohen, and his Libyan counterpart, Najla Mangoush, in Rome. This announcement provoked indignation in Washington, which was highly critical of Benyamin Netanyahu.
This information was revealed by the American website Axios, which reports that the Biden administration protested against Eli Cohen’s decision to disclose this secret meeting in an official press release.
US officials were surprised, as they understood that the meeting had to remain confidential.
The anger of the Biden administration and Secretary of State Blinken stems from the demonstrations that erupted in Libya after the announcement.
These demonstrations have destabilised the fragile UN-recognised government in Libya.
The US fears that the revelation of this meeting and the ensuing unrest will not only undermine efforts to normalise relations between Israel and Libya, but will also harm ongoing efforts with other Arab countries, as well as US national security interests.
Eli Cohen had said in a statement that his meeting with Najla Mangoush had taken place secretly in Rome and had been arranged by the Italian Foreign Minister, who maintains close relations with both parties.
However, the Libyan Foreign Ministry described the meeting as «fortuitous», «unofficial» and without any discussion, agreement or consultation.
In reaction to this announcement, several political parties in Libya condemned the meeting and called for Najla Mangoush to be dismissed.
Anti-government and anti-Israeli demonstrations took place in Tripoli, with some demonstrators storming the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The Libyan Foreign Minister fled the country.
Pedro OKALAMAR
