The British website Middle East Eye has revealed that a senior official in Libya’s internationally recognised government has held meetings with Israeli representatives to discuss a proposal for resettling hundreds of thousands of displaced Palestinians from Gaza.
According to Libyan, Arab, and European sources who spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitivity of the issue, National Security Adviser Ibrahim Dbeibeh — a relative of Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh — is leading the talks. This comes despite the firm rejection by Palestinians in Gaza of U.S. President Donald Trump’s so-called “post-war plan” for the Strip.
A Libyan source told the website that “practical discussions” had already taken place, though details remain unclear. “There has been no talk yet of mechanisms or implementation,” the source said.
Negotiations in the Shadows
Another Libyan source confirmed that discussions are ongoing, noting that members of the State Council in Tripoli are “deliberately keeping the talks in the dark amid widespread pro-Palestine sentiment in Libya.”
The report adds that Washington has attempted to entice Libyan leaders with economic promises. According to sources, Ibrahim Dbeibeh received assurances that the U.S. Treasury would release nearly $30 billion in frozen Libyan assets in exchange for Libya’s cooperation in the resettlement scheme.
In May, Middle East Eye reported that Massad Boulos — Donald Trump’s adviser and father-in-law of his daughter Tiffany — also held discussions with Ibrahim Dbeibeh about unlocking frozen Libyan funds. Boulos has since strongly denied involvement in any resettlement talks, calling the claims “completely false and inciteful.”
Nevertheless, White House deputy press secretary Anna Kelly stated that Trump has “long advocated for innovative solutions to improve Palestinian lives, including resettling them in a new and beautiful location while rebuilding Gaza.”
Haftar, Oil, and Israeli Bargains
Reports have also surfaced that retired general Khalifa Haftar, who controls eastern Libya, was offered greater control over the country’s oil resources in return for accepting the resettlement of Palestinians.
When asked by Middle East Eye for comment on Monday, Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh insisted that his government would not take part in the “crime” of Palestinian resettlement.
A European source told the website that both Dbeibeh and Haftar were “simultaneously negotiating with the Israelis,” each hoping to gain “greater legitimacy with the Americans.”
The same source warned that if the resettlement plan were imposed on Libya, Palestinians would be “jumping from the frying pan into the fire.” He explained:
- Palestinians would be expelled from Gaza into a country fractured by political chaos, divided governments, and the scars of civil war.
- With little chance of meaningful protection or support, they would likely face renewed displacement — triggering mass migration across the Mediterranean.
- As history shows, many would perish at sea in capsized boats, while those who reached Europe would face resistance and rejection.
A Dangerous Gamble
An Arab official familiar with the talks cautioned that complicity in Israel’s ethnic cleansing project would spark outrage across Libya, warning it would trigger a “shock to the Libyan people.”
A Libyan political analyst (unnamed) told the website that it is “not surprising that Ibrahim Dbeibeh is spearheading contacts with Israel. Like his government, his motives are self-serving. He knows well the benefits of aligning with the United States and Trump.”
Meanwhile, Israeli officials have openly acknowledged exploring the forced transfer of Palestinians. Last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu admitted that Israel was in contact with “several countries” about absorbing civilians displaced from Gaza.
Last month, Israeli Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter even described Libya as the “ideal destination” for Palestinians, claiming:
“They will gladly leave Gaza if the international community invests billions to resettle them in Libya, a vast country with a coastline similar to Gaza’s.”
A Pattern of Secret Deals
This is not the first time Libyan leaders have been exposed in covert dealings with Israel. In 2023, then–Foreign Minister Najla Mangoush secretly met with Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen in Italy. The revelation sparked nationwide protests in Libya, forcing her suspension.
In a later interview with Al Jazeera Arabic, Mangoush claimed she had attended the meeting under direct orders from Abdul Hamid Dbeibeh, confirming it was coordinated between his government and Israel.
Conclusion
The revelations of secret Libyan-Israeli meetings underscore the dangerous reality of Israel’s ongoing attempts to push Palestinians out of their homeland under the guise of “resettlement.”
What is unfolding is not a humanitarian solution but a continuation of ethnic cleansing — shifting the burden of Gaza’s displaced onto unstable countries like Libya while Israel seizes the land.
For Palestinians, the plan is a nightmare: exile into chaos, statelessness, and death at sea. For Libya, it is a recipe for national upheaval and foreign manipulation. And for the wider Arab world, it is a stark reminder that normalisation with Israel is not about peace, but about enabling occupation, dispossession, and betrayal.
