TOI reports that Libya’s chief prosecutor said Saturday he would establish a fact-finding mission to investigate a meeting last month between the foreign minister of one of the country’s rival governments and Israel’s chief diplomat.

The Aug. 22 meeting caused an uproar across the North African nation and in Israel. Najla Mangoush, the foreign minister of the Tripoli-based government, and Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen met in Rome in the first-ever meeting between top diplomats of Libya and Israel.

Hours after Cohen’s office issued a statement revealing the meeting last Sunday, Libya’s Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh suspended Mangoush from her role and said an investigation panel would be formed to look into the meeting. He then fired her hours later after she fled the country due to concern for her safety.

Libya criminalizes establishing ties with Israel under a 1957 law. The oil-rich country has long been hostile toward Israel and supportive of the Palestinians.

In a terse statement Saturday, General Prosecutor Al-Sediq al-Sour said the fact-finding mission would probe violations of Libya’s rules of boycotting Israel and “investigate the extent of damage to Libya’s interests” because of the Mangoush-Cohen meeting.

Two senior Libyan government officials previously told The Associated Press that Dbeibeh knew about the talks between his foreign minister and the Israeli minister. One of the officials said the Libyan prime minister gave his approval for the meeting, while the second said Mangoush then briefed the prime minister about it after her return to Tripoli.

Source - TOI/X - Image - Reuters