Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez turned the unprecedented immigration crisis that struck Ceuta into a broader political and diplomatic confrontation, after he accused Israel and Russia, along with what he described as the “international extreme right,” of spreading misleading information through social networks that, according to him, contributed to the influx of more than 70,000 immigrants into the Spanish enclave in just two days, while Israel categorically denied the accusations and described them as a “blatant lie.”
According to a report published by the Israeli website Ynet, quoted by Reuters, Sanchez said on Monday that “Russian and Israeli networks spread these lies and attacked the Spanish government and the Europeans on a very sensitive issue such as irregular immigration, which divides and polarizes many European societies.”
He explained that one of the most prominent misleading pieces of information related to a decision of the Spanish Supreme Court, which was distorted on social media in a way that suggested that any person arriving by swimmer in Ceuta would not be able to be returned at the border.
“This is not true,” Sanchez stressed, explaining that the decision only prevented immediate return without following organized legal procedures.
He said the false message spread on social media, including through criminal groups, before it was amplified by parties outside Spain, adding: “This is what we know.”
The Spanish Prime Minister indicated that his words were based on a study prepared by the European Union External Action Service (EEAS), linking the spread of misleading information to political differences between Madrid on the one hand, and Moscow and Tel Aviv on the other.
He said that it was “clear” that Russia and Israel took advantage of the crisis to criticize the Spanish government against the backdrop of Madrid’s positions on the war in Ukraine and the war in the Middle East, adding that parties in the two countries are using the immigration issue to attack Spain and Europe and try to sow division within them.
On the other hand, Sanchez stressed that, according to the information available to Madrid, there is no evidence that Morocco was behind the wave of entry into Ceuta.
He said that none of the intelligence services with which Spain cooperated raised suspicions of the involvement of the Moroccan authorities, stressing that Rabat provided Madrid with “immediate cooperation.”
He explained that the two governments remained in continuous contact on July 30 and 31, the two days that witnessed the large influx of migrants, and that the Moroccan authorities began implementing a field deployment from the second day.
Sanchez warned that damaging trust between the two countries would only exacerbate the crisis, considering that the solution could only be achieved through continued cooperation with Morocco. He said: “Without Rabat’s cooperation, the situation in Ceuta could have been more dangerous.”
Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar responded to Sanchez’s accusations, saying: “He lies shamelessly. He surprisingly accused Israel of spreading misleading information about the events in Ceuta. “This is a blatant lie.”
Saar added: “Continuing to spread defamatory lies will not distract attention from Sanchez’s shameful failure in managing his country’s affairs.”
Sanchez’s statements did not pass without criticism within his political camp, as forces in the Soumar coalition, which includes parties from the left and the radical left and participates as a junior partner in his government, attacked the absence of criticism directed at Morocco.
Representative Alberto Ibañez said that it was “not convincing” to blame “Trump’s reactionary right, Israel, or Russia,” and at the same time he thanked Rabat for its cooperation “as if its king is not a partner in the same camp.”
Somar’s spokeswoman in parliament, Veronica Barbero, also criticized Sanchez for the “absence of criticism” of Morocco, considering that his statements lacked sympathy for the residents of Ceuta and immigrants.
During the crisis, the European Union warned of electronic activity aimed at exaggerating events in Ceuta.
At the beginning of August, the European Commission announced that it had monitored the activity of foreign parties, especially Russian ones, who attempted to publish and amplify content related to the crisis on social media platforms.
At the same time, the European Union worked with online platforms and fact-checkers to counter misinformation and content also spread by migrant smuggling networks.
In Madrid, officials spoke of an unusual volume of electronic discussion coming from outside Spain, as Spanish Foreign Minister Jose Manuel Albarez said that about 40% of the discussion on the “X” platform regarding the crisis between July 27 and August 10 was in English.
He added that part of the content was intended to portray Spain as a country that has lost control of its borders and as if it were an arena for a “civilizational threat” linked to immigration.
In parallel, researchers monitored the rapid spread of content related to the crisis through accounts and networks linked to Russia, which presented the influx of migrants as an “attack” on Europe.
Among the parties mentioned were the “Pravda” network and the “Rebar” channel on Telegram, which had previously been linked to Russian influence activities.
Ukraine, in turn, accused Moscow of exploiting the images coming from Ceuta to create fear and destabilize Europe.
The Ceuta crisis broke out at the end of July, when tens of thousands of people crossed the border from Morocco into the Spanish enclave in North Africa within a short period.
At least 72,000 migrants entered Ceuta during the crossing wave, while dozens of people died while trying to reach Spanish territory.
The Spanish authorities have since been able to return most of them to Morocco, but thousands remain in the enclave, some of whom reside in temporary camps.
Over the last weekend, Madrid requested additional assistance from the European Union and the European border protection agency Frontex to deal with the situation.
Sanchez said that more than 90% of the migrants who entered Ceuta on July 30 and 31 have already returned to Morocco.
He added that about 5,000 migrants in an irregular situation remain in the city, including about 1,200 unaccompanied minors.
He explained that since August 10, 3,222 people have returned to Morocco, while reception facilities in the city have been expanded from 500 places to about 3,300, with a goal of reaching 6,000 places.
The Spanish Prime Minister acknowledged that the intelligence services and police had observed an increase in attempts to enter Ceuta during the days preceding the crisis, and had already strengthened the borders, but he stressed that no one expected a wave of the size that actually occurred.
He added that the government is still investigating the reasons that prompted more than 70,000 people to enter Ceuta within two days.
Sanchez’s accusations come at a time when relations between Spain and Israel are going through their worst stages.
In recent years, Madrid has become one of the most critical European governments of Israeli policy in the Gaza Strip, and in May 2024 it recognized a Palestinian state, before later taking steps against the transfer of weapons to Israel through its territory. The Spanish government also described the war in Gaza as “genocide.”
The diplomatic crisis worsened this year due to Spain’s opposition to the US-Israeli strikes against Iran.
In March, Madrid decided to permanently withdraw its ambassador to Israel, after he had been summoned for consultations months earlier.
The Israeli embassy in Spain is currently managed by a chargé d’affaires, while Sa’ar previously accused the Sanchez government of anti-Semitism against the backdrop of its measures towards Israel.
One of the most clear chapters of the dispute emerged during the Ceuta crisis when, at the height of events, Israel’s ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, said that Spain had “declared a state of emergency in Ceuta” as a result of its immigration policy. He also attacked Madrid because of its continued control over enclaves in North Africa.
The Spanish authorities denied declaring any such emergency, stressing that Danon’s statements were not compatible with the legal situation in the country.
On the other hand, Madrid is also in political confrontation with Moscow, as the Spanish government is considered a supporter of Ukraine within the European Union.
Last week, Spain joined the Netherlands, Poland and Sweden in calling for the reopening of the debate on the use of frozen Russian assets to finance aid to Kiev.
Thus, a crisis that began with an exceptional influx of migrants on the Ceuta border has turned into a broader battleground over disinformation, influence, and geopolitical differences, while Madrid continues to investigate the fundamental question: How did more than 70,000 people manage to reach the Spanish enclave in just two days?
