World

Sa'ar accuses Spanish PM of 'lying shamelessly' over Israel’s alleged role in Ceuta migrant crisis

10h ago · Source: JNS 88Objectivity score88/100

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez announces the country’s recognition of the “state of Palestine,” May 28, 2024. Credit: Ministry of the Presidency, Government of Spain, via Wikimedia Commons.

Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar accused Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez on Monday of “lying shamelessly” about Israel’s role in the Ceuta crisis, which broke out on July 30 when tens of thousands of migrants from Morocco flooded into the North African Spanish enclave.

“In an interview with Cadena SER today, he lied again, astonishingly accusing Israel of disseminating misleading information regarding the events in Ceuta,” Sa’ar wrote. “This is a brazen lie. Continuing to spread defamatory lies will not distract from Sánchez’s disgraceful failure to manage his country’s affairs.”

Sánchez, speaking to host Aimar Bretos on Cadena SER’s “Hoy por Hoy,” said the causes of the crisis remain under investigation but blamed “rumors and disinformation” spread through social media accounts “linked both to Russia and to Israel, and to an international far-right” movement that he said exploits migration to attack Spain and Europe.

The crisis erupted on July 30 and 31, when tens of thousands of migrants crossed or attempted to cross into Ceuta from neighboring Morocco. Spanish officials have put the number at roughly 70,000, with most subsequently returning to Morocco. About 5,000 migrants, including 1,200 minors, remained in Ceuta as of Monday, according to Sánchez.

Sánchez said there is no evidence that Moroccan authorities were involved in the mass crossing and credited Rabat with cooperating with Madrid during the crisis. He attributed the surge in part to false claims circulating online after a Spanish Supreme Court ruling concerning the return of migrants who enter Ceuta by sea.

The episode has fueled conspiracy theories in Spain, including claims that Israel benefited from or helped engineer the crisis. Spanish actor Javier Bardem shared social-media posts alleging that Israel and Western far-right groups benefited from a weakened Spain.

The speculation intensified after Danny Danon, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, criticized Spain’s handling of the crisis on July 30, writing that Madrid should explain why it maintains “colonial enclaves” in Africa before continuing to lecture Israel. Spain’s Transport Minister Óscar Puente responded, “Well, it’s all starting to become quite clear,” in an apparent reference to the suggestion of Israeli involvement.

Israel’s Foreign Ministry subsequently distanced itself from Danon’s remarks. Dana Erlich, Israel’s ambassador to Spain, wrote on July 31 that Israel was “closely monitoring the situation in Ceuta” and that “the comment made by Israel’s Ambassador to the UN on the issue does not represent the position of the State of Israel.”