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Netanyahu Rues His Foreign Minister’s Disclosure of Meeting with Libyan Counterpart

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen talks to the media during a press conference after a meeting with his Cyprus' counterpart Constantinos Kombos and Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias at the Presidential palace in capital Nicosia, Cyprus, on March 31, 2023. (AP)
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen talks to the media during a press conference after a meeting with his Cyprus' counterpart Constantinos Kombos and Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias at the Presidential palace in capital Nicosia, Cyprus, on March 31, 2023. (AP)
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Netanyahu Rues His Foreign Minister’s Disclosure of Meeting with Libyan Counterpart

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen talks to the media during a press conference after a meeting with his Cyprus' counterpart Constantinos Kombos and Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias at the Presidential palace in capital Nicosia, Cyprus, on March 31, 2023. (AP)
Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen talks to the media during a press conference after a meeting with his Cyprus' counterpart Constantinos Kombos and Greek counterpart Nikos Dendias at the Presidential palace in capital Nicosia, Cyprus, on March 31, 2023. (AP)

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday appeared to shift blame to his top diplomat for the disclosure of a secret meeting with the Libyan foreign minister that has caused a backlash in Tripoli.

Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen's office on Aug. 26 went public with his having met Najla al-Mangoush, his Libyan counterpart, in Italy earlier in the month. The statement came on the heels of an Israeli media report about the meeting.

The news triggered protests in Libya, which does not recognize Israel and where pro-Palestinian sentiment is strong, and led head of the Government of National Unity (GNU) Abdulhamid al-Dbeibah to fire Mangoush.

"It is not helpful, now that's clear," Netanyahu told Cypriot TV station ANT1 when asked about the publication.

"I've issued a directive to all our government ministers that such meetings of this kind have to be cleared in advance with my office, and certainly their publication has to be cleared in advance with my office."

In an Aug. 28 social media post pushing back against the furor, Cohen defended his ministry for "always working in overt and covert channels, and in a range of discreet means, to bolster Israel's foreign relations".

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Ex-Tunisian Minister Sentenced to Three Years in Prison

Former Environment Minister Riadh Mouakher (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Former Environment Minister Riadh Mouakher (Asharq Al-Awsat)
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Ex-Tunisian Minister Sentenced to Three Years in Prison

Former Environment Minister Riadh Mouakher (Asharq Al-Awsat)
Former Environment Minister Riadh Mouakher (Asharq Al-Awsat)

The Criminal Chamber specialized in financial corruption cases at the Court of First Instance of Tunis, sentenced on Friday former Environment Minister Riadh Mouakher to three years in prison, the Tunisian official news agency, TAP, reported.
The ruling is part of a corruption case related to breaches in a transaction carried out by the former minister for the purchase of several vehicles.
Investigation showed that the tender conditions were allegedly manipulated in favor of one particulate supplier.
In addition to Mouakher, the Chamber condemned a civil protection executive, seconded to the Environment Ministry, to two years in prison.
The two defendants are found guilty of abusing their functions to obtain an undue advantage, and therefore causing harm to the administration and contravening the regulations in force.
On Thursday, the Criminal Chamber specialized in corruption cases at the Tunis Court of First Instance sentenced a security officer to three years in prison and four others to four years in prison on charges of abusing their functions to obtain an undue advantage and harm others.
The five security officers had formed a group for the purpose of attacking property and exploiting a public employee.
According to documents related to the case, surveillance activities revealed that the five defendants, who work at a central department, were involved in seizing private funds, giving night jobs to some department agents, and transferring the profits to their personal accounts.
Their case was first examined by the Financial Chamber, which decided to sentence the five security guards to prison.
The case was later referred to the Criminal Chamber that examines financial corruption cases. The chamber had earlier kept the five defendants at liberty, before issuing late on Thursday the prison sentences.