New Libya Govt Will Not Include Muslim Brotherhood Loyalists

Prime Minister-designate Abdulhamid Dbeibeh meets with Libyans in Tripoli. (AFP)
Prime Minister-designate Abdulhamid Dbeibeh meets with Libyans in Tripoli. (AFP)
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New Libya Govt Will Not Include Muslim Brotherhood Loyalists

Prime Minister-designate Abdulhamid Dbeibeh meets with Libyans in Tripoli. (AFP)
Prime Minister-designate Abdulhamid Dbeibeh meets with Libyans in Tripoli. (AFP)

Political pressure on Libyan Prime Minister-designate Abdulhamid Dbeibeh has forced him to come up with two cabinet lineups.

The first will be comprised of 24 to 26 ministers. Should it be rejected, he will propose a government of technocrats that will be limited to 15 portfolios.

Informed sources, including some of his aides, told Asharq Al-Awsat that women will make up a third of the new government. It will also not include any loyalists to the Muslim Brotherhood or its political branch, the Justice and Construction Party, or any lawmakers or members of the Government of National Accord (GNA).

This means that GNA Interior Minister Fathi Bashagha will not retain his position in the new cabinet. Dbeibeh is likely to name himself defense minister, following the lead of GNA chief, Fayez al-Sarraj, who also holds that portfolio.

Lamia Abusedra is highly tipped to be named foreign minister. Abusedra is a former official in the al-Watan party led by Abdelhakim Belhaj, the ex-commander of the now defunct militant Islamic Fighting Group.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, an aide to Dbeibeh told Asharq Al-Awsat that the delay in unveiling the cabinet is due to “significant” pressure he is coming under from some MPs. He revealed that the lawmakers are seeking to obtain government portfolios or administrative positions for themselves or their relatives and acquaintances.

Meanwhile, High Council of State head, Khalid al-Mishri said on Monday that Dbeibeh had informed the body that he needed two and a half years to complete the government roadmap, which would force him to delay the December elections.

To avoid such a fate, he has demanded that the roadmap be amended or that the elections be held on time.

Mishri added that some 11 or 13 lawmakers have demanded that Dbeibeh grant them sovereign ministries in cabinet, including the defense and interior portfolios and the position of head of intelligence.

Meanwhile, allegations that members of the Libyan Political Dialogue Forum had received bribes to elect Dbeibeh continued to reverberate in the country. At least three participants in UN-led Libya peace talks were bribed for votes, experts from the world body found in a report for the Security Council.

Speaker of the east-based parliament Aguila Saleh said Tuesday that the session to grant confidence to the cabinet should be postponed while officials study the report.

The session is set for Monday.

Saleh said vote-buying is a “crime that cannot be ignored.”

He joined 24 lawmakers who have called for the postponement of the parliament session.

Commenting on the UN expert panel report, the UN Support Mission in Libya said the Panel of Experts (PoE) is a separate entity, completely independent from UNSMIL.

“The PoE provides its report to the Security Council Sanctions Committee. The Mission further stresses that it does not receive the reports of the PoE including its latest report, and it is therefore not in a position to comment on it. Any questions in this regard should be addressed to the Sanctions Committee,” it said in a statement on Tuesday.

The UNSMIL and its partners “strongly encourage” the parliament to meet as scheduled On March 8 to discuss and consider the vote of confidence to the cabinet to be proposed by Dbeibeh, it added.

They encourage the PM-designate to present the lineup “without further delay”.

“This call comes in line with the increasing public demand for the urgent need to form a unified government to address the most pressing needs and facilitate the holding of national elections in December 2021,” it added.



US-backed Gaza Aid Group to Halt Distribution on Wednesday, UN to Vote on Ceasefire Demand 

Israeli shelling hits an area in the northern of Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP)
Israeli shelling hits an area in the northern of Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP)
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US-backed Gaza Aid Group to Halt Distribution on Wednesday, UN to Vote on Ceasefire Demand 

Israeli shelling hits an area in the northern of Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP)
Israeli shelling hits an area in the northern of Gaza Strip as seen from southern Israel, Tuesday, June 3, 2025. (AP)

The US-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation will not give out any aid on Wednesday as it presses Israel to boost civilian safety beyond the perimeter of its distribution sites, a day after dozens of Palestinians seeking aid were killed.

The GHF said it has asked the Israeli military to "guide foot traffic in a way that minimizes confusion or escalation risks" near military perimeters; develop clearer guidance for civilians; and enhance training to support civilian safety.

"Our top priority remains ensuring the safety and dignity of civilians receiving aid," said a GHF spokesperson. An Israeli military spokesperson warned civilians against moving in areas leading to GHF sites on Wednesday, deeming them "combat zones".

The Israeli military said on Tuesday that it opened fire on a group of people it viewed as a threat near a GHF food aid distribution site. The International Committee of the Red Cross said at least 27 people were killed and dozens injured. The GHF said the incident was "well beyond" its site.

Palestinians who collected food GHF boxes on Tuesday described scenes of pandemonium, with no-one overseeing the handover of supplies or checking IDs, as crowds jostled for aid.

The UN Security Council is also set to vote on Wednesday on a demand for a ceasefire between Israel and Palestinian group Hamas and humanitarian access across Gaza, where aid has trickled amid chaos and bloodshed after Israel lifted an 11-week blockade on the enclave where famine looms.

"It is unacceptable. Civilians are risking – and in several instances losing – their lives just trying to get food," UN spokesperson Stephane Dujarric said on Tuesday, adding that the aid distribution model backed by the US and Israel was "all a recipe for disaster, which is exactly what is going on."

That model is run by the newly created GHF, which started operations in the enclave a week ago and said on Tuesday that it has given out more than seven million meals from three so-called secure distribution sites. GHF Interim Executive Director John Acree urged humanitarians in Gaza: "Work with us and we will get your aid delivered to those who are depending on it."

US VETO?

The UN and other aid groups have refused to work with the GHF because they say it is not neutral and the distribution model militarizes aid. GHF uses private US security and logistics companies to get aid to the distribution sites.

It is the latest in a string of efforts to get more aid into the enclave, where experts say the entire population of some 2.1 million people is at risk of famine. Jordan last year spearheaded humanitarian air drops, while the US briefly installed a floating aid pier, but it was beset by challenges.

The UN has long-blamed Israel and lawlessness in the enclave for hindering the delivery of aid into Gaza and its distribution throughout the war zone. Israel accuses Hamas of stealing aid, which the group denies.

Israel said on Tuesday that three of its soldiers had been killed in fighting in northern Gaza. Gaza health officials said at least 18 more Palestinians were killed in other military strikes in the territory on Tuesday. Reuters could not independently verify the reports in northern and southern Gaza.

The 10 elected members of the UN Security Council have asked for the 15-member body to vote on Wednesday on a draft resolution that demands "an immediate, unconditional and permanent ceasefire in Gaza respected by all parties."

The draft text, seen by Reuters, also demands the release of all hostages held by Hamas and others, and the immediate lifting of all restrictions on the entry of aid and its safe and unhindered distribution, including by the UN, throughout Gaza.

"The time to act has already passed," Slovenia's UN Ambassador Samuel Zbogar told Reuters. "It is our historical responsibility not to remain silent."

As US President Donald Trump's administration tries to broker a ceasefire in Gaza, it was not immediately clear if Washington would veto the draft text. A spokesperson for the US mission to the UN said: "We cannot preview our actions currently under consideration."

A resolution needs nine votes in favor and no vetoes by the permanent members - the United States, Russia, China, Britain or France - to pass.

The war in Gaza has raged since 2023 after Hamas fighters killed 1,200 people in Israel in an October 7 attack and took some 250 hostages back to the enclave, according to Israeli tallies.

Israel responded with a military campaign that has killed over 54,000 Palestinians, according to Gaza health authorities, which do not distinguish between fighters and non-combatants.