Jerusalem, Israel

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has issued a directive, instructing all government ministries to seek his authorisation before engaging in "secret diplomatic meetings." 

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This move follows the recent turmoil caused by Israel's revelation of a meeting between Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and his Libyan counterpart Najla Mangoush in Rome last week.

In the aftermath of this meeting, the Libyan Foreign Minister Mangoush was sacked, and it also triggered protests on the streets of Tripoli.

Unplanned meeting or not

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The Libyan Foreign Ministry on Monday emphasised that it had rejected an invitation from Israel for a meeting and that the interaction between the two sides was both "unplanned and incidental." 

Also read | Protests mar Libya, foreign minister suspended after meeting with Israeli counterpart

It further asserted that the meeting did not involve any "deliberations, agreements, or consultations," and that Tripoli "outright rejects" the idea of normalisation with Israel.

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However, talking to Reuters, an Israeli official denied Libya's "short and unplanned" statement and said that the meeting was in fact prearranged "at the highest levels" within Libya. The official also said that the meeting lasted for over one hour. 

Speaking to The Associated Press, a Libyan official, revealed that the meeting lasted for approximately two hours and that Mangoush later briefed the Libyan prime minister upon her return to Tripoli. 

The official also said that this meeting was the culmination of US-brokered efforts aimed at having Libya join a group of Arab nations, and establishing diplomatic relations with Israel.

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The official further revealed that the subject of normalising relations between Libya and Israel had initially been broached in a meeting involving Dbeibah and CIA Director William Burns, which took place when the latter visited the Libyan capital in January.

How it'll affect future efforts at normalisation

As per Haaretz, diplomats from Arab nations and the US believe that in the foreseeable future, the recent turmoil may have implications for efforts to foster normalisation between Israel and other Arab and Muslim countries.

The report goes on to say that a senior diplomat from an Arab nation maintaining ties with Israel said that this incident would erode other countries' confidence in Israeli officials.

(With inputs from agencies)

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