Foreign Minister Eli Cohen met with Libyan counterpart Najla Mangoush last week in Italy, the Foreign Ministry announces, marking the first-ever official meeting between the countries’ top diplomats. The two met to discuss the possibility of cooperation and the preservation of Jewish heritage sites in Libya. Cohen calls the meeting “historic” and a “first step” in the creation of ties between the countries. The country split in the chaos that followed, with rival administrations in the east and west backed by rogue militias and foreign governments. While Israel and Libya have never had ties, there have long been reported contacts between Gaddafi’s son Saif al-Islam and Israeli officials.

Source: Libya Today August 27, 2023 16:04 UTC