Libya, Prime Minister Dbeibah: "Long live Palestine"

  Libyan Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah has vehemently rejected any form of normalization with Israel. It is his first public statement after the diplomatic chaos caused by the secret conversation in Italy between the minister, the Foreign Minister of Libya and an Israeli representative. In fact, in recent days the Libyan Foreign Minister, Mrs. Najla al Mangoush, and the Israeli Foreign Minister, Eli Cohen, met in Rome. The leak of the news sparked a wave of protests in Libya. Thousands of people took to the streets to demonstrate their dissent, burning tires, setting Israeli flags on fire and calling for Mangoush's resignation, local media reported.

“We affirm our rejection of any form of normalization. Long live Libya, long live Palestine and long live the Palestinian cause which is in our hearts,” Dbeibah said during the televised speech. Expressing his regret that Mangoush acted "independently", the Libyan prime minister warned of "harsh measures" after the secret meeting of the two foreign ministers, without providing further details. “Unfortunately, there was an individual in the government who acted independently,” Dbeibah said, referring to Libya's top diplomat. “This requires a tough response that serves as a lesson to preserve the sanctity of the nation.” Hours after Cohen's office released a statement revealing the meeting, Dbeibeh suspended Mangoush from his duties and said an investigative commission would be formed to look into the matter. The Libyan prime minister then fired her a few hours later, after she fled the country.