Why Libya’s cackhanded Israel diplomacy is bad for America, too

IT WASaMP lesson in how not to conduct diplomacy. On August 27th Eli Cohen, the Israeli foreign minister, announced that days earlier in Rome he had met his Libyan counterpart, Najla al-Mangoush. The meeting was meant to be secret. His disclosure sparked protests across Libya, which has no overt ties with Israel.The Libyan foreign ministry downplayed it as a chance encounter. Israeli officials countered that it was a well-planned meeting which lasted two hours. Ms Mangoush was sacked and then fled the country. Opposition s in Israel castigated Mr Cohen for his “amateurish” decision to reveal the meeting. American officials are furious too, saying his disclosure damaged their efforts to prod Arab states to recognise Israel.