Libyan public against normalisation

Kamel Abdallah , Tuesday 29 Aug 2023

Kamel Abdallah reports on the recent furore in Libya following a National Unity minister meeting her Israeli counterpart

Libyan public against normalisation
Libyans protest against the meeting between Cohen and Al-Mangoush in Tripoli, Libya (photos: AP)

 

On 28 August, the Prime Minister of the Libyan Government of National Unity (GNU) Abdul-Hamid Dbeibah dismissed Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation Najla Al-Mangoush following a leak that she had met with her Israeli counterpart, Eli Cohen, in Rome last week. The meeting, which prompted much public anger, was reportedly arranged by the Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani; it was the first to take place between any Libyan and Israeli officials. Dbeibah said that, prior to dismissing Mangoush, he had suspended her and referred her to an investigation.

In a statement released on Sunday, the Israeli Foreign Ministry acknowledged the meeting between Mangoush and Cohen in Rome on 24 August and said that they had discussed the potential for developing relations and cooperation between the two countries. It also said that Cohen spoke with Mangoush about “the importance of preserving the heritage of Libyan Jews, which includes renovating synagogues and Jewish cemeteries in the country.”

The two officials also discussed the provision of Israeli humanitarian aid and help with agriculture and water, according to the ministry’s statement. 

Cohen described his meeting with the former Libyan foreign minister as “historic” and a “first step” in developing relations. 

The Libyan Foreign Ministry stated that the meeting in Rome was spontaneous, informal, and not planned in advance. It occurred while Mangoush was meeting with the Italian foreign minister and did not include any formal talks, agreements, or consultations. Moreover, the statement said, Mangoush clearly reiterated Libya’s firm, clear and non-negotiable principles on the Palestinian cause and “she categorically denounced how the Hebrew and international press attempted to exploit the incident and characterise it as a meeting, talks, or even an arrangement, let alone the possibility of even contemplating holding such meetings.” 

According to the Libyan MFA, Foreign Minister Mangoush had “refused to hold any meetings with any party representing the Israeli entity and she remains firm and unequivocal on that position, in keeping with the outlook of the Libyan Government of National Unity (GNU) and the established principles of the Libyan people”. 

Restating its resolute and irreversible commitment to Jerusalem as the eternal capital of Palestine, the ministry stressed “its total and absolute rejection of normalisation with the Zionist entity and reaffirms, again, its resolute support for the Palestinian cause and the brotherly Palestinian people.” 

The leak of the meeting to the Israeli press nonetheless sparked angry demonstrations in Tripoli opposed to normalisation with Israel on Sunday evening. The protests quickly spread to other towns and cities, where young people blocked roads, burned tyres, and waved Palestinian flags. Reactions followed from official quarters.

The Presidential Council released a statement asking GNU Prime Minister Dbeibah to clarify what happened in Rome and denying having advance knowledge of any arrangements or meeting between Mangoush and her Israeli counterpart. The House of Representatives (HoR) urged the Public Prosecutor’s Office to launch an investigation into both Dbeibah and Mangoush on charges of fraud, corruption and communicating with Israel in violation of Libyan law, which prohibits officials from normalising relations with Israel. The HoR also urged the Joint 6+6 Committee, which is charged with drafting the electoral laws, to include a provision in the electoral laws banning the nomination of anyone implicated in communications with Israel.

A HoR statement added that it was right to have withdrawn its confidence from the Dbeibah government. The High Council of State (HCS) called on Dbeibah to dismiss Mangoush. Demands for the dismissal of Dbeibah and other members of his government echoed from many other Libyan political parties, civil society organisations and social and political figures.

On Sunday evening, Dbeibah attempted to salvage the situation by suspending Mangoush and forming a ministerial committee to investigate the incident. According to the Libyan Al-Wasat news site, late on Sunday night, Mangoush had boarded a private plane bound for Turkey. From there, she flew to London where she arrived on Monday evening. People close to her family in London have described her psychological state as quite poorly. 

On Monday, Dbeibah visited the Palestinian embassy in Tripoli, using that place to announce that he had dismissed Mangoush from her post. He reiterated the Libyan prohibition against normalisation with Israel and expressed his opposition to contacts between any Libyan official and Israeli figures, according to a statement posted on the Palestinian Foreign Ministry website.

News of the meeting between Mangoush and Cohen arrived at a time of mounting pressures to oust both the Netanyahu and Dbeibah governments. Commentators in both Libya and Israel have suggested that Dbeibah may have been interested in a rapprochement with Israel as a way to curry favour with the US and reinforce the position of his government. The Associated Press had recently reported that CIA Director William Burns had discussed normalisation between Libya and Israel during his meeting with Dbeibah in Tripoli in January.  Burns was eager to bring Tripoli on board the US-brokered Abraham Accords, in the footsteps of the UAE, Bahrain, Oman, Morocco and Sudan.

Even before this incident, more and more voices in Libya have been pushing for the dismissal of the GNU, the creation of a new executive and the postponement of elections. Western powers and the UN, which have largely shaped the political process in Libya since 2011, oppose any change to the current UN-sponsored political process which is meant to culminate in elections by the end of the year, for fear of jeopardising their political and financial gains. Two days before the revelation of the meeting between Mangoush and Cohen, UN and US officials stated that no one wants to see another interim government in Libya, and expressed the hope that the HoR, HSC and other leading Libyan stakeholders will reach the consensus needed to hold the elections that Libyans aspire to.

Dbeibah might manage to contain the wave of anger through a government reshuffle that would include people acceptable to some of his adversaries. But he will need to manoeuvre quickly in view of recent realignments between some important stakeholders from eastern, western, and southern Libya. They have been gaining ground against the Dbeibah camp and he will probably have to offer them some key ministerial posts. 

Meanwhile, popular pressure has so far only managed to drive Dbeibah to dismiss Mangoush, the first woman in Libyan history to head the government’s diplomatic corps. Many Libyan politicians will now have their eye on that post. On the other hand, it does not look like Dbeibah is likely to go any time soon. At the very least, he has gained time to reshuffle his cards and prepare for the next round.    

* A version of this article appears in print in the 31 August, 2023 edition of Al-Ahram Weekly

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