TRIPOLI, Libya – A senior official in Libya’s UN-recognised government has held covert talks with Israeli officials over a proposal to resettle Palestinians displaced from Gaza, according to multiple Arab and European sources cited by Middle East Eye.
The discussions were reportedly led by Ibrahim Dbeibah, national security adviser and relative of Prime Minister Abdul Hamid Dbeibah. Sources said “practical talks” had taken place, but without concrete mechanisms. Members of Libya’s Tripoli-based parliament were not informed, given the country’s strong pro-Palestinian sentiment.
According to one source, Washington offered economic incentives, including the release of $30 billion in frozen Libyan assets dating back to 2011, in return for Tripoli accepting Palestinians. Massad Boulos, a close adviser to US president Donald Trump, was linked to earlier discussions over unlocking frozen funds but denied involvement in any resettlement plan.
The White House said Trump has long pushed for “creative solutions” for Palestinians, including resettlement abroad while Gaza is rebuilt.
The reported talks coincide with Israel’s public calls for countries to absorb Gazans displaced by the war. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently said Israel was in contact with “several countries” about taking Palestinians, while Agriculture Minister Avi Dichter described Libya as an “ideal destination” due to its size and Mediterranean coastline.
Israeli ministers have floated similar “voluntary migration” proposals since the Hamas attacks of October 7. However, rights groups stress that forced displacement violates international law, notably the Fourth Geneva Convention.
The reports have triggered sharp reactions in Libya. Hours after being contacted by MEE, Prime Minister Dbeibah said his government would not take part in the “crime” of resettling Palestinians, echoing a US embassy statement earlier this year dismissing relocation plans.
Meanwhile, Khalifa Haftar, the powerful commander in eastern Libya, was also reportedly approached with offers of expanded oil revenues in exchange for accepting Palestinians. He denied the claims, but European officials said both Haftar and the Tripoli-based government were courting Israeli contacts to win greater US recognition.
Analysts warned the plan could spark unrest across Libya. “This will be a shock to the Libyan people,” one Arab official said, noting that complicity in what Palestinians see as ethnic cleansing would inflame public anger.
Others cautioned that relocating Gazans to a war-torn country with divided governments would push many towards desperate onward migration to Europe. “It will be catastrophic at multiple levels,” a European source said, predicting renewed deaths in the Mediterranean and a backlash from European states unwilling to absorb more refugees.
Libya does not recognise Israel but has been accused of secret contacts. In 2023, former foreign minister Najla al-Mangoush was suspended after revelations she met her Israeli counterpart in Rome. Sources later alleged Ibrahim Dbeibah orchestrated the meeting.
Israeli officials have also reportedly sounded out other African countries. Plans have been mooted for Palestinians to be resettled in Sudan, South Sudan, and Somalia’s breakaway region of Somaliland.
But all are plagued by instability: Sudan has seen more than 150,000 killed since civil war erupted in 2023; South Sudan faces deep humanitarian crises with millions at risk of hunger; while Somaliland has drawn threats from al-Shabab over its pact with Ethiopia.
Critics say the talks reflect Libyan leaders’ pursuit of US favour rather than Palestinian welfare. “Accepting Palestinians could come at a high price for any party that engages with Washington,” analyst Mohamed Mahfouz said.