Avi Benlolo: Libya should be grateful Israel even considered diplomatic ties

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Headlines in the media this week accused Israel of provoking a backlash over its meeting with Libya’s foreign minister, a meeting that was meant to initiate diplomatic ties. Israel’s Foreign Minister, Eli Cohen, found himself defending his ministry’s press release which announced the historic meeting.

For their part, while agreeing to the meeting, the Libyans pretended that the encounter was a catastrophe. Libyan Foreign Minister Najila Mangoush who undoubtedly was sent to meet with Cohen to establish ties, was first suspended and then fired for meeting with a Jewish-Zionist. Apparently, the outrage was so deep in Libya that Mangoush had to flee for her life, ending up in Turkey.

When it comes to diplomacy, no country other than Israel must deal with double standards grounded antisemitism. Why should we accept this behaviour and blame Israel, especially with respect to a broken country with a history of terrorism?

Libyans must think highly of themselves. They shamelessly took to the streets once the news of the fateful meeting broke headlines. For all this righteousness, Libya apparently still holds onto Moammar Gadhafi’s disgusting policy of not recognizing the Jewish state. While numerous Arab nations have normalized relations with Israel and moved their nations forward, Gadhafi’s hateful ethos still resonates among Libyans.

Let’s be honest. Many Libyans, and the current government, are holding onto the ideas of a man who was admittedly responsible for the Lockerbie bombing that resulted in 270 deaths. This is the man who readily harboured Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, supporting him in his quest to terrorize Israel. And Libya itself is the place where the U.S. consulate in Benghazi was attacked and the U.S. ambassador murdered. Just this week, it was revealed that Gadhafi stole $200 Billion from the Libyan people and stashed it in Canada.

The Libyan Street executed Gadhafi in 2011 during the Arab Spring, but sadly, it has not excised its prejudices. The loss of diplomatic relations is not on Israel, but on Libya. The rampaging mobs on the streets of Tripoli coupled with an unelected government without legitimacy failed to realize that Israel is not only an economic lifeline, it’s also a gateway to the West.

The media should be much less concerned about the backlash against Israel, as the fact that the last elections in Libya were held in 2014. Presidential elections were slated first for 2018, then 2021 and have now been postponed indefinitely. Frankly, the Libyans should be thanking Israel for even considering diplomatic relations, given the instability and lack of legitimacy.

Israel should be commended for its outreach and continuous search for peace, despite the backward behaviour of some of these countries. To put this into perspective, in 2021, Libya’s Gross Domestic Product (GDP) was $42.82 billion USD. In comparison, Israel’s GDP for the same year was $488.5 billion USD. Israel’s economy is 11.4 times larger than Libya’s.

By striving to open diplomatic relations with its sworn enemies, Israel has shown the moral high ground. It’s true that timing is everything, especially in the Middle East. It’s also true that quiet diplomacy works as in the case of The Abraham Accords.

Israeli and American leaders and intelligence officials have rightly been critical of Cohen for his ministry’s lack of discretion in making the meeting public. Many claim, this will harm future talks and even the bid to reconvene the Negev Forum. The fact is that politicians make mistakes all day long — especially in a democracy. It’s also part of being grown-ups in a media world where leaks happen. Hardly anything can be kept a secret.

But its more interesting to study Libya’s reaction to diplomatic efforts. They speak volumes about Libya more than about Israel. The case uncovered a government that is vengeful and poorly communicative. It points to a nation with deeply held prejudices that is undeserving of Israel’s hand in peace. And it showed that the hateful ethos planted by Gadhafi still echoes.

So here is some advice for the Libyan government: First, get your house in order, then come knocking on Israel’s door. Second, join the rest of the Arab world in moving forward from your ancient prejudices against the Jews. They are taking you nowhere fast. Third, next time an olive branch is placed in your hand, take it. Israel is not your enemy.

Avi Benlolo is the founder and chairman of the Abraham Global Peace Initiative.