Posted on 08/29/23
| News Source: Times of Israel
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reportedly had prior knowledge of a meeting in Rome last week between Foreign Minister Eli Cohen and his Libyan counterpart Najla Mangoush that, when publicized on Sunday, prompted widespread criticism of the former and the firing of the latter.
Netanyahu knew in advance of the time and place of the sit-down, as did Cabinet Secretary Yossi Fuchs and the National Security Council, two unnamed sources told Channel 12 news.
According to a Kan news report on the matter, however, Netanyahu was not notified in advance of Cohen’s controversial publication of the encounter.
The PMO did not respond to requests for comment.
The reports confirmed the belief of analysts that it’s unlikely either Mangoush or Cohen would have held the unprecedented meeting without informing their respective premiers.
In an apparent effort to distance himself from the outcry, Netanyahu issued a directive on Tuesday requiring all secret diplomatic gatherings to be approved by his office and also demanded that the publicizing of any covert diplomatic meetings first be given a green light by the PMO.