As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu tries to manage the fallout from the revelation of a meeting with Libyan Foreign Minister Najla al-Mangoush, a significant internal conflict has broken out between Israel’s foreign intelligence agency, Mossad, and its Foreign Ministry. Both organizations are pointing fingers at each other over who leaked the meeting’s details to the media.
A source within the Foreign Ministry claimed that Mossad, eager to monopolize Israel’s relations with the Arab world, was infuriated by the meeting and chose to leak the information. According to the source, the Foreign Ministry had done everything possible to keep the meeting a secret and had not even informed Mossad. Upon discovering the meeting, Mossad opted for sabotage rather than support, despite the meeting serving Israel’s broader interests.
Mossad countered these allegations, laying the blame squarely on Foreign Minister Eli Cohen. Officials within Mossad accused Cohen of causing significant damage to Israel-Libya relations. Mossad’s double frustration stems from the Foreign Ministry’s actions, which they claim have caused irreparable harm, and their continual blaming of Mossad for these issues.
Meanwhile, Ayoub Kara, a former Minister of Communications and Regional Cooperation, disclosed that Israel has had long-standing, secret communications with various Libyan political entities. Kara questioned the wisdom of revealing this particular meeting, asking who benefits from such a disclosure.
Simultaneously, American authorities under President Joe Biden’s administration have sharply criticized Israel’s handling of the situation. The U.S. has accused Israel of destabilizing the already precarious situation in Libya, rejecting Israel’s attempts at justification and expressing suspicion about Foreign Minister Cohen’s account of events.
In response, Netanyahu has informed the White House that from now on, any public revelation of a covert meeting would require his personal approval. This move has prompted ironic reactions within the Israeli media, as Netanyahu himself has been identified as the instigator of such disruptive foreign policy behavior in the past.
