The angry reaction of some on the Libyan street to news of last week’s meeting between Israel and Libya’s foreign ministers has more to do with anger at the country’s political leaders than it does with hatred for Israel.
“It’s a response to the frustration of Libyans being kept in the dark, to this kind of shadow politics, secret meetings.” said Anas El Gomati, founder and director of the Sadeq Institute in Tripoli. “It’s: ‘Will you back another government that is not elected and would block elections in exchange for Libya recognizing Israel or normalizing ties to Israel?’”
Presidential elections in Libya were initially slated for 2018, and later for 2021, but have since been postponed indefinitely. The country’s rival legislatures in Tobruk and Tripoli have been unable to come to a lasting agreement on elections, and interim Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh seems determined to stay in power regardless.
Read the rest of this article at the Times of Israel.
