Live Update 
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, November 5, 2023
From the Liveblog of
Sunday, November 5, 2023
Netanyahu’s office says ex-Mossad chief ‘initiated meeting with an Arab leader,’ had PM’s approval
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (left) and then-Mossad head Yossi Cohen during a toast for the Jewish New Year on October 2, 2017. (Haim Zach/GPO)
After the Mossad and an Israeli official expressed criticism earlier in the day of Yossi Cohen’s activities around the release of hostages, the Prime Minister’s Office says the former Mossad chief “initiated a meeting with an Arab leader with the prime minister’s approval.”
“He also held a number of meetings on a diplomatic issue and remained in touch with the national security adviser,” the statement continues.
The statement seems to addressing earlier insinuations that Cohen was acting outside the proper channels.
