Tripoli [Libya], August 28 : Libya's prime minister Sunday night suspended Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush from her role after her recent meeting with Israeli counterpart Eli Cohen sparked anger in the country, The Times of Israel reported.
Prime Minister Abdul Hamid al-Dbeibeh stated in a formal document released by his office that he had directed the formation of an investigating panel to look into Mangoush over the meeting, according to The Time of Israel.
The Times of Israel is a Tel Aviv-based online newspaper founded in 2012 to document developments in Israel, the Middle East and around the Jewish world.
Shortly after Israel released a press release announcing and applauding the sit-down, the nation's Foreign Ministry also quickly released a statement denying any formal meeting had occurred.
The unexpected turn of events led others to wonder if Israel had made Sunday's announcement without contacting Mangoush and Tripoli or if the Libyan government had abruptly changed its position on the issue in response to domestic uproar.
Additionally, it seemed to dispel the idea that the countries' relations had meaningfully improved, as suggested by the Israeli declaration.
The latest developments were made public at midnight local time, but the Israeli Foreign Ministry did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The ministry had earlier claimed that Cohen and Mangoush had spoken last week in Italy during the two countries' first-ever official summit of top diplomats to examine the potential for collaboration and the protection of Jewish heritage sites in Libya. The conference also discussed Israeli assistance with agricultural, water management, and other issues, the ministry stated.
Cohen referred to the gathering as "historic" and a "first step" in forging relations between the nations.
In its own communique, the Libyan Foreign Ministry said that “what happened in Rome was an unofficial and unprepared casual meeting, during a meeting with the Italian foreign minister, and it did not include any discussions, agreements or consultations.”
“Rather, the minister affirmed Libya’s constants on the Palestinian issue in a clear and unambiguous manner,” it added.
It asserted that it, “categorically denies the reported exploitation by the Hebrew and international press and their attempt to confer upon the incident the character of meetings, or even arranging or just considering holding such meetings.”
It declared its “complete and absolute rejection of normalization with the Zionist entity” and affirmed its “full commitment to the national constants on the issues of the Arab and Islamic nations, foremost of which is the Palestinian cause,” while adhering to the position of Jerusalem being “the eternal capital of Palestine,” as reported by The Times of Israel
In his earlier comments, Cohen said that “the size and strategic location of Libya provides enormous importance and enormous potential for the State of Israel to establish ties with it.
“I spoke with the foreign minister about the great potential for our countries with such ties, as well as the importance of preserving the heritage of Libyan Jewry, including renovating synagogues and Jewish cemeteries in the country.”
Before the majority of its members fled in the years after the creation of the State of Israel, Libya had a substantial Jewish population. It's claimed that there are no Jews left in Libya now, The Times of Israel reported.
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