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".
