Mishri Questions the Legitimacy of Libya's Political Dialogue Forum

A staff shows the empty ballot box after delegates voted for the election of a new interim government for Libya during the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (UN)
A staff shows the empty ballot box after delegates voted for the election of a new interim government for Libya during the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (UN)
TT
20

Mishri Questions the Legitimacy of Libya's Political Dialogue Forum

A staff shows the empty ballot box after delegates voted for the election of a new interim government for Libya during the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (UN)
A staff shows the empty ballot box after delegates voted for the election of a new interim government for Libya during the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (UN)

The chairman of Libya's High Council of State, Khalid al-Mishri, accused the UN-brokered Libyan Political Dialogue Forum (LPDF) of violating the legitimacy.

Mishri, who is also a leader in the Justice and Construction Party, the political arm of the Muslim Brotherhood, said the meeting “overlooked the true source of legitimacy, which is the people.”

The Forum, which included 75 national figures, concluded its meetings on February 05 in Geneva and appointed a new temporary executive authority that received local, regional, and international support.

During an interview with "France 24", Mishri discussed the method of naming the Forum’s participants. He said there were no precise criteria in choosing the representatives before he clarified himself and excluded members of the House of Representatives and High Council of State.

The Libyan Political Forum elected the interim executive authority from the third list, which included Mohammad al-Menfi as head of the presidential council, with the membership of Musa al-Koni, Abdullah al-Lafi, and Abdulhamid Dabaiba as prime minister.

Despite Dabaiba’s efforts in forming the government and Menfi’s tours around the country aiming to unify state institutions, Mishri said that the process of selecting this committee “remains subject to appeals.”

He reiterated his concerns about the selection process, saying he only accepted the result given the House of Representatives’ inability to convene.

Mishri withdrew his candidacy for the presidential council, one day before the Political Forum announced the executive authority. He stated that his decision was to give an opportunity for “greater consensus”, thanking all those who voted for him in the first round.

However, observers believe his decision was a result of the Brotherhood’s inability to establish alliances, warning that Mishri's statements could hinder the political track.

A political official of the government in eastern Libya was surprised with Mishri's change of heart at such critical times in the country, stressing that the current stage requires unity.

The official, who refused to be identified, told Asharq Al-Awsat that Mishri was a candidate for the head of the presidential council, under the chairmanship of this committee, but later came out to say he was dissatisfied with the way it was formed.

“Wasn’t he [Mishri] aware that the UN Support Mission in Libya chose the committee?” wondered the official, adding that Mishri is questioning the results announced by the committee which included national figures known for their integrity and transparency

Libyan journalist Bashir Zabiya expressed his surprise at the position of the head of the High Council, saying Mishri nominated himself for the council before withdrawing for undisclosed reasons.

Zabiya, who is the editor-in-chief of al-Wasat newspaper and website, lauded the efforts of UNSMIL in establishing the new executive authority.

He indicated that Mishri’s TV statements surprised him, especially when he questioned the legitimacy of the same committee that included 13 members of his council.



UN Rapporteur Calls for Global Action to Stop ‘Genocide’ in Gaza

 UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese speaks during a press conference following an Emergency Conference of States, hosted by Colombia and South Africa, to discuss measures against Israel in relation to the conflict in Gaza, in Bogota, Colombia, July 15, 2025. (Reuters)
UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese speaks during a press conference following an Emergency Conference of States, hosted by Colombia and South Africa, to discuss measures against Israel in relation to the conflict in Gaza, in Bogota, Colombia, July 15, 2025. (Reuters)
TT
20

UN Rapporteur Calls for Global Action to Stop ‘Genocide’ in Gaza

 UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese speaks during a press conference following an Emergency Conference of States, hosted by Colombia and South Africa, to discuss measures against Israel in relation to the conflict in Gaza, in Bogota, Colombia, July 15, 2025. (Reuters)
UN Special Rapporteur for the occupied Palestinian territories Francesca Albanese speaks during a press conference following an Emergency Conference of States, hosted by Colombia and South Africa, to discuss measures against Israel in relation to the conflict in Gaza, in Bogota, Colombia, July 15, 2025. (Reuters)

The United Nations’ special rapporteur for Gaza and the West Bank said Tuesday that it's time for nations around the world to take concrete actions to stop what she called the “genocide” in Gaza.

Francesca Albanese spoke to delegates from 30 countries meeting in Colombia’s capital to discuss the Israel-Hamas war and ways that nations can try to stop Israel’s military offensive in the territory. Many of the participating nations have described the violence as genocide against the Palestinians.

“Each state must immediately review and suspend all ties with the State of Israel ... and ensure its private sector does the same,” Albanese said. “The Israeli economy is structured to sustain the occupation that has now turned genocidal.”

The two-day conference organized by the governments of Colombia and South Africa is being attended mostly by developing nations, although the governments of Spain, Ireland and China have also sent delegates.

Israel, which was founded in the aftermath of the Holocaust, has adamantly rejected genocide allegations against it as an antisemitic “blood libel.”

Analysts say it’s not clear whether the conference's participating countries have enough leverage over Israel to force it to change its policies in Gaza, where more than 58,000 people have been killed in Israeli military operations following a deadly Hamas attack on Israel in 2023. The death toll comes from the health ministry, which is under Gaza’s Hamas government and does not differentiate between civilians and combatants. The UN and other international organizations see its figures as the most reliable statistics on war casualties.

“The United States has so far failed to influence Israel’s behavior ... so it is naive to think that this group of countries can have any influence over (Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin) Netanyahu’s behavior or on the government of Israel,” said Sandra Borda, a professor of international relations at Bogota’s Los Andes University.

She said, however, that the conference will enable some nations of the Global South to clarify their position toward the conflict and have their voices heard.

The conference is co-chaired by the governments of South Africa and Colombia, which last year suspended coal exports to Israeli power plants, and includes the participation of members of The Hague Group, a coalition of eight nations that earlier this year pledged to cut military ties with Israel and to comply with an International Criminal Court arrest warrant against Netanyahu.

For decades, South Africa’s ruling African National Congress party has compared Israel’s policies in Gaza and the West Bank with its own history of oppression under the harsh apartheid regime of white minority rule, which restricted most Blacks to “homelands” before ending in 1994.

South Africa’s current argument is rooted in the sentiment that Palestinians have been oppressed in their homeland as Black South Africans were under apartheid.

The gathering comes as the European Union weighs various measures against Israel that include a ban on imports from Israeli settlements, an arms embargo and individual sanctions against Israeli officials, who are found to be blocking a peaceful solution to the conflict.

Colombia’s Vice Minister for Foreign Affairs Mauricio Jaramillo said Monday that the nations participating in the Bogota meeting, which also include Qatar and Türkiye, will be discussing diplomatic and judicial measures that can be taken to put more pressure on Israel to cease its attacks.

The Colombian official described Israel’s conduct in the Gaza Strip and the West Bank as an affront to the international order.

“This is not just about Palestine” Jaramillo said in a press conference. “It is about defending international law... and the right to self-determination.”