TRIPOLI (Dispatches) – Several Libyan cities, including Tajoura, Bani Walid, al-Zawiya, and the capital, Tripoli, were gripped by widespread protests over the weekend, rejecting any attempts to normalize ties with the Zionist regime. 
Throughout the week, demonstrators have condemned recent government actions and statements, demanding accountability and the preservation of national sovereignty.
Protesters in Tripoli blocked the Bivi Road linking the capital to the east, burning tires and erecting barriers, causing severe traffic disruptions. Similar demonstrations erupted in Misrata, the hometown of Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, with citizens marching through the main square, denouncing the government’s stance.
The uproar follows former foreign minister Najla al-Mangoush’s admission during a televised interview that her controversial meeting with former Zionist foreign minister Eli Cohen in August 2023 had been pre-arranged by the Tripoli government.
In the interview broadcast by Al Jazeera’s 360 platform, al-Mangoush said that the meeting came after “contact and coordination between the Israeli side and the Government of National Unity,” adding: “I was not a party to arranging the meeting’s agenda. The government arranged it and I delivered the message.”
Earlier this week Middle East Eye reported that “The meeting between Mangoush and Cohen was a first for the two sides, as Libya does not have formal relations with the Zionist regime and does not recognize it.”
Al-Mangoush defended her actions, stating the discussions focused on the North African country’s security and resources, not normalization. She also expressed solidarity with Palestine during the meeting, stating: “I informed Cohen about the Libyan people’s point of view and our feelings in support of the Palestinians and rejection of the Israeli regime’s policies.”
Dbeibeh’s government has faced increasing criticism, with protesters accusing it of betraying Libya’s long-standing stance against Zionism and the occupation state. Although the prime minister temporarily suspended al-Mangoush and denied support for normalization, he has dismissed the protests, claiming his opponents are manipulating public sentiment.