Foreign minister met with Libyan counterpart, in historic first, Israel says

27 August 2023, 6:36 pm

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Libyan Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush speaks at the opening session of the meeting of Arab foreign ministers, in the capital Tripoli, on January 22, 2023. (Mahmud Turkia/AFP)

Foreign Minister Eli Cohen met with Libyan counterpart Najla Mangoush last week in Italy, the Foreign Ministry announces, marking the first-ever official meeting between the countries’ top diplomats.

The two met to discuss the possibility of cooperation and the preservation of Jewish heritage sites in Libya. Israeli humanitarian aid and help with agriculture, water management and more were brought up, Israel says.

Cohen calls the meeting “historic” and a “first step” in the creation of ties between the countries.

Libya plunged into chaos after a NATO-backed uprising toppled and killed longtime dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011. The country split in the chaos that followed, with rival administrations in the east and west backed by rogue militias and foreign governments.

While Israel and Libya have never had ties, there have long been reported contacts between Gaddafi’s son Saif al-Islam and Israeli officials. The mercurial Gaddafi himself also apparently reached out to Israel on a number of occasions, including to push his proposal for a united Israeli-Palestinian Isratine.