Spanish commentators accuse Israel and US of involvement in Ceuta crisis

Some 60,000 people crossed into Ceuta from Morocco this week, including around 8,000 children

Imran Mulla

Published date: 1 August 202

https://www.middleeasteye.net/news/spanish-minister-clashes-israeli-diplomat-over-migrants-entering-ceuta-morocco

A Spanish minister has suggested Israel was stirring problems over 60,000 migrants crossing from Morocco into Spain's North African enclave of Ceuta. 

Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, posted on X on Friday: "Spain, which never misses an opportunity to lecture Israel, has declared a state of emergency in Ceuta following the crisis over its immigration policy.

"Maybe before it continues lecturing us, it's time it explained to the world why it still maintains colonial enclaves in Africa," he added.

Sharing Danon's post, Spanish Transport Minister Oscar Puente remarked: "Well, it all seems to be becoming quite clear."

This comes as numerous Spanish politicians and commentators have alleged that Israel and the United States have sought to cause trouble for Spain in retaliation for the Spanish government's opposition to the US-Israeli war on Iran and Israel's war on Gaza. 

Gabriel Rufian, the parliamentary spokesperson for the Republican Left of Catalonia, a left-wing party, argued that the crisis served American and Israeli interests.

Spanish journalist Jose Vizner, meanwhile, shared a 2019 social media post by Yair Netanyahu, the son of Israel's prime minister, discussing alleged Israeli support for separatism in Ceuta.

Prominent Spanish actor Javier Bardem shared a video accusing Israel of being behind the crossings.

Former Portuguese minister and commentator Bruno Macaes said that "whether or not the US and Israel were involved before the fact, they were deeply involved and intensely active after the fact, especially trying to use it against the current Spanish government".

Ceuta, a Spanish territory on Morocco's Mediterranean coast, and Melilla, another Spanish autonomous city on the country’s northern coast, share the only land borders between the European Union and Africa.

Some 60,000 people crossed into Ceuta from Morocco this week, including around 8,000 children, according to the Spanish government.

Footage posted online showed people swimming into the enclave around the border barrier, with some wearing swimsuits and using flotation rings to make the dangerous journey.

Diplomatic spats over migrant crossings

France said it was increasing checks along its border with Spain, while Italy threatened to suspend Spain from the EU's internal open-border scheme.

But on Saturday, Spain said most migrants, around 48,000, had already returned to Morocco, ushered by Spanish soldiers.

Videos online showed migrants hiding in tunnels and walking around on the streets of Ceuta.

At least 67 people are believed to have died while attempting to reach the enclave.

It is unclear what prompted the wave of attempted crossings, but there have previously been similar incidents.

In May 2021, 8,000 Moroccans entered the enclave amid a diplomatic dispute between Spain and Morocco over Western Sahara. At the time, Spain accused Morocco of using migrants as leverage, and a Moroccan minister said Morocco was justified in relaxing its border control as a response to the diplomatic dispute.

Some commentators have accused Morocco of facilitating this week's crossings, pointing to the Moroccan government's anger at Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez's recent visit to Algeria, Spain's biggest gas supplier.

Lorenzo Gabrielli, a senior researcher at Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona who researches migration in Ceuta, told the New York Times: "It is impossible for nearly 50,000 people to cross the border between Morocco and Spain in a single day without Morocco having a hand in it."

Ceuta President Juan Jesus Vivas condemned the migration as a "violation of Spain's territorial integrity".

Morocco's ambassador to Spain, Karima Benyaich, said: "We have always prioritised legal, orderly and safe migration for all."

She insisted the crossings had been against the wishes of the Moroccan government.

Meanwhile, US President Donald Trump called the situation a "catastrophe" and added that "if we're not in office our country will be invaded at levels that will make Spain look small time".

Israel spends over $1bn on global influence campaign to whitewash war, genocide

Support for Israel among young people in the US is collapsing, including among conservatives

News Desk

JUL 31, 2026

https://thecradle.co/articles/israel-spends-over-1bn-on-global-influence-campaign-to-whitewash-war-genocide

The Israeli government has spent more than $1 billion on propaganda since 7 October 2023 in a bid to reverse the collapse in public support following its genocide of Palestinians in Gaza, according to a 24 July report by Responsible Statecraft (RS).

The amount represents a “dramatic escalation” in Israel's “global Hasbara” spending to shape public opinion, in particular in the US, Tel Aviv's biggest backer.

The effort was launched to counter the change in opinion of US citizens, who have turned against Israel due to the war crimes it has carried out in Gaza over the past nearly three years.

A Gallup poll from July 2025 found that 60 percent of US citizens disapproved of Israel's military actions in Gaza, which have killed more than 73,000 Palestinians, the majority women and children, and turned the strip into a devastated moonscape.

To change this, Israel has funded various propaganda campaigns, such as hiring US President Donald's Trump's former campaign manager Brad Parscale to carry out a mass texting campaign on behalf of Israel under the guise of “peace” groups like “Allies for Peace.”

Israel has long influenced the opinions of the US public through pro-Israel lobbying groups funded and staffed by Jewish US citizens.

Groups such as the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) and Christians United for Israel (CUFI) therefore were not required to register as foreign agents under the Foreign Agents Registration Act (FARA).

However, RS notes that Israel has recently spent more than $100 million in the US to conduct influence operations by directly hiring registered foreign agents. This allows Tel Aviv to closely control messaging, target specific demographics, and act more efficiently.

RS used FARA data, Israeli government procurement documents, and interviews with dozens of sources to document Israel's recent propaganda initiative.

Much of the effort is directed by the French firm Havas Media, which subcontracts with US public relations firms to target the demographic Israel most fears losing support from: evangelical Christians, conservatives, and young US citizens.

Through such firms, Tel Aviv can pay social media influencers, fund mass texting operations, and even shape the answers given by AI chatbots to users seeking information about Israel and its genocide of Palestinians in Gaza.

The Israeli government pays for “LLM poisoning,” which entails creating pro-Israel websites that feed information to chatbots such as Claude, ChatGPT, or Grok whenever users ask questions about Israel.

The goal is to manipulate the answers given by the chatbots when users ask about straightforward events, RS notes, such as the murder of the young Palestinian girl Hind Rajab by the Israeli occupation forces in Gaza. 

Instead of providing the facts of the incident, the chatbot feeds the user a “he-said, she-said” account of the incident, highlighting Israel's justifications for shooting a five-year-old and her family.

Despite their role as foreign agents, some of the PR firms and influencers working for Israel have refused to disclose their financial relationships with the Israeli government.

“Israel's new tactics are transforming America's influence landscape, but they have so far proved insufficient to counter the erosion in public support that is being driven by Israel's deeply unpopular policies,” RS concluded.