Biden admin scolds Israeli FM for conduct in Libya diplomatic fiasco

Libya’s foreign minister fled the country after Israel reveals meeting

The U.S. Biden administration transmitted sharply worded statements to Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen about his conduct leading to the disclosure of the meeting between the Libyan and Israeli foreign ministers last week, according to Israeli media reports.

Strong messages of protest were transmitted from officials at the U.S. State Department and the American Embassy in Israel to Cohen and other senior officials.

Following the announcement of the meeting, Libyan Foreign Minister Najla El Mangoush fled to Turkey after being suspended from her post and the subsequent announcement of an investigation into the meeting.

Libya called it a “chance meeting," and denied it was prearranged. “What happened in Rome was a chance and unofficial encounter, during a meeting with her Italian counterpart, which did not involve any discussion, agreement or consultation.”

Cohen's announcement of last week's meeting also led to protests and public outcry in the Libyan capital city of Tripoli and in other towns.

American sources told Walla News that the United States knew about the meeting of the foreign ministers in Italy and encouraged it, according to reports.

However, Washington was allegedly convinced that the meeting would remain secret and was blindsided by its disclosure in an official press release from the Israeli Foreign Ministry on Sunday.

The Israeli side claims that the eventual disclosure of the meeting was planned in advance and that it had already leaked to an Israeli media outlet, while U.S. sources claim Libyan officials were horrified to read about the meeting in the press.

A senior American official reportedly said that, even if there had been a leak, Israel's Foreign Ministry could have refused to comment instead of issuing an official announcement.

Cohen, in response, reportedly assured the American side that Israel understands the problem and will no longer comment publicly on the issue.

Israel’s Channel 12 news on Monday quoted an unnamed source from Mossad, Israel’s foreign intelligence agency, saying that Cohen’s conduct “dealt immense damage to the ties formed in recent years,” adding, “He burned the bridge. It’s irreparable.”

Cohen on Monday evening defended himself against attacks by the Israeli opposition against his conduct.

“The Foreign Ministry works regularly through overt and covert channels, and in a variety of secret ways to strengthen Israel's connections in the world,” Cohen wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter.

“The ministry's many achievements in the past year… would not have matured without discreet preparatory actions. It's a shame that political opponents who didn't promote any significant achievement rush to react without knowing the details and accuse [us of] a leak that didn't exist.”

Cohen added that “the attacks will not deter the Foreign Ministry from continuing to work to create and strengthen ties with our many friends in the world and in the Arab world in particular.”