Spain’s PM accuses Israel of misinformation campaign during migrant crisis

Spain’s strongly anti-Israel premier accuses Israel and Russia of spreading disinformation about the migrant crisis in Ceuta, suggesting move was part of a broader plot to sow discord in Europe.

By World Israel News Staff

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez on Monday accused social media networks linked to Israel and Russia of spreading and amplifying disinformation surrounding the massive migrant influx into Spain’s North African enclave of Ceuta, arguing that foreign actors had used the crisis to attack his government and sow divisions in Europe.

Speaking in an interview with Cadena SER, Sánchez said his government was still investigating the circumstances that led more than 70,000 migrants to enter Ceuta from Morocco at the end of July, but pointed to false and misleading information circulating online as one of the factors behind the unprecedented surge.

“After July 30 and 31, there was a spread of rumors and disinformation, from social networks linked both to Russia and to Israel, and to an ultra-right international that always uses migration not only to attack Spain, but also to attack Europe and divide it,” Sánchez said.

Sánchez cited research by the European External Action Service, the European Union’s diplomatic arm, in support of his allegations. He said it was “evident” that actors associated with Russia and Israel had taken advantage of the crisis to criticize his government, linking the campaign to Madrid’s positions on the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.

“If Russia or Israel get involved in spreading disinformation on this issue, is it because they are worried about migration in Spain or because they are worried about Spain’s international position in Europe?” Sánchez asked.

The Spanish leader did not, however, publicly accuse the Israeli or Russian governments themselves of directing the alleged operation. His remarks referred to social media networks linked to the two countries, and he acknowledged that investigators had not yet established a complete picture of who was responsible for spreading the messages.

The controversy follows the extraordinary events of July 30 and 31, when tens of thousands of people crossed from Morocco into Ceuta, many swimming around border barriers or attempting to enter along the coastline.

More than 70,000 people ultimately entered the enclave, while at least 96 people died on the Spanish and Moroccan sides during the attempted crossings, according to later official counts. Most of those who entered have since returned to Morocco.

Social media appears to have played a significant role in encouraging the rush toward Ceuta. Videos and posts circulated in Morocco suggesting that Spain’s border had effectively opened or that migrants reaching Spanish territory by sea could no longer be returned.

Interviews with migrants conducted shortly after the crossings found that some decided to make the journey after seeing videos of others apparently succeeding in reaching Ceuta.

Much of the misinformation centered on a Spanish Supreme Court ruling concerning migrants who reach Ceuta or Melilla by sea. The ruling ended the use of immediate summary returns in certain circumstances, but did not grant migrants an automatic right to remain in Spain. Sánchez said the decision had been distorted online and exploited by criminal organizations.

“A Supreme Court ruling was misrepresented,” Sánchez said, while stressing that the government was continuing to investigate the causes of the crisis.

Independent reporting has confirmed that substantial amounts of false information circulated before and during the migrant surge, but determining who was responsible has proved more difficult.

The Associated Press reported that it remained unclear who was behind claims that the border was open or who controlled many of the social media accounts spreading them; several accounts disappeared shortly after the crossings.

The crisis also became entangled almost immediately with the already strained relationship between Madrid and Jerusalem.

As the crossings were unfolding, Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon publicly attacked Sánchez’s government over its handling of migration.

“Spain, which never misses an opportunity to lecture Israel, has declared a state of emergency in Ceuta following the crisis over its immigration policy,” Danon wrote, before questioning why Spain maintains what he called “colonial enclaves in Africa.”

The comments fueled speculation in parts of Spanish social media that Israel, the United States or Morocco had deliberately helped engineer the migrant influx in retaliation for Sánchez’s foreign policy. No public evidence has emerged substantiating claims that Israel or the US organized the crossings.

Israel’s ambassador to Spain, Dana Erlich, also distanced the Israeli government from Danon’s remarks at the time, saying his comments “do not represent the position of the State of Israel.”

Sánchez on Monday simultaneously rejected claims that the Moroccan government had deliberately facilitated the crossings. He said there was “no information” from Spain’s security services, intelligence agency or other intelligence services pointing to Moroccan involvement and described cooperation with Rabat during the crisis as “frankly positive.”

The prime minister nevertheless confirmed that Spain’s CNI intelligence service had distributed situation reports before the mass crossing. He said those reports did not predict the scale of what was about to happen.

“The CNI shared situation reports, but there was no information that conveyed the magnitude of the crisis we were going to suffer,” Sánchez said.

The accusations against Israel and Russia add a new diplomatic dimension to a crisis that has already generated fierce disputes inside Spain and across Europe over border security, migration policy and Madrid’s response to the influx.

Sánchez is scheduled to appear before Spain’s Congress on September 3 to explain his government’s handling of the Ceuta crisis.

Conspiracy theoriesPedro SánchezSpain