Israel’s Mossad Chief Said to Meet with Libyan PM to Discuss Normalization

Israel’s Mossad spy chief David Barnea met with Libyan Prime Minister Abdulhamid Mohammed Al-Dabaiba in Jordan to discuss normalization, Saudi Arabian and Libyan media outlets reported Wednesday night.

Dabaiba, who leads Libya’s interim Government of National Unity, was also said to have discussed security cooperation with Israel.

Dabaiba’s office denied the meeting occurred, according to the reports.

In November, the Haaretz daily reported that Saddam Haftar, son of Libyan warlord Gen. Khalifa Haftar, visited Israel last week for a secret meeting with Israeli officials in which he offered to normalize ties between the two countries in return for Israeli support.

According to the Jerusalem Post, the Mossad is said to have maintained contact with various Libyan officials over the years.

However, it is far from clear whether normalization will even be possible, given the instability in the country as well as its decades-long history of hostility against Israeli.

Haftar Snr, has expressed his desire to normalize ties with Israel, and declared he would work to that end if he is elected as president.

Elections were again postponed last week.

An official in Haftar’s campaign headquarters told Israel Hayom that “it’s still too early to discuss a normalization agreement with Israel and how that would look. First of all, Gen. Haftar has to actually win, and we are certain he will. As of now, though, we have no interest in bringing the issue of future relations with Israel to the agenda, because the Libyan public harbors traditional and structured hostility toward it.”