London: Spanish Prime Minster Pedro Sanchez has blamed networks in Israel and Russia for spreading online claims that led at least 72,000 migrants to cross from Morocco into the enclave of Ceuta in a border crisis four weeks ago.
Sanchez dismissed online claims that Moroccan authorities had encouraged migrants to swim to the Spanish enclave in northern Africa, saying the crisis was triggered instead by online misinformation spread by others.
But his claims were denounced by Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who said the Spanish leader was “lying shamelessly” to distract attention from his failures in government.
The dispute highlights the political tension over the Ceuta crisis when Sanchez is under fire over his migration policies at the same time he criticises Israel over its wars in Gaza and Lebanon.
Claims and counter-claims have spread online about the crisis ever since thousands of people stormed through border checkpoints on July 30 to get to Ceuta, an autonomous Spanish city surrounded by Morocco.
One factor appeared to be a belief among migrants that entering Ceuta would entitle them to asylum in mainland Spain under a Supreme Court ruling in June that said Spanish authorities could not summarily deport asylum seekers without due process.
Sanchez told broadcaster Cadena SER that false claims about the court ruling were spread online, and that the “far-right movement” used the crisis to attack Spain and divide European leaders.
“There were Russian and Israeli networks that spread these hoaxes and attacked the Spanish government and Europeans on a corrosive issue like irregular migration, which divides and polarises many European societies,” he said.
Sanchez said the online posts distorted the court ruling and spread the false idea that it would be impossible for Spanish authorities to force people back to Morocco.
“This type of hoax was used and spread through social media. This is what we know,” he said, in reporting of his remarks by Spanish daily newspaper El Pais.
Spanish police dealt with the crisis by forcing most of the migrants back to Morocco, although about 5000 remain in Ceuta despite the challenge of gaining food and water when many local people do not want them in their city.
While some media reports on July 30 said Moroccan border guards encouraged the migrants to cross into Ceuta, the Spanish leader rejected the theory that Morocco sparked the crisis because it seeks sovereignty over Ceuta.
Sanchez said at “no intelligence agency with which the Spanish government regularly collaborates” raised any concern about the involvement of Moroccan authorities. This included Spain’s own National Intelligence Centre.
European leaders are at odds over how to toughen border checks under the Schengen pact that allows free movement between 29 member states.
Italy has chosen to continue its suspension of the Schengen rules with Spain for another 15 days, despite protests from Madrid, due to concerns about illegal migrants.
Sanchez has been criticised by other leaders for his decision in February to allow 500,000 undocumented migrants to gain residency in Spain, a policy that would enable these migrants to cross to neighbouring countries under the Schengen and European Union rules.
More than one million undocumented migrants who are already in Spain have applied to gain this residential status, although the government is yet to decide how many will be approved.
Sanchez is one of Europe’s strongest critics of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his government’s wars in Gaza and Lebanon.
Sanchez recognised Palestine as a state in May 2024, despite objections from Netanyahu, in a move followed by other European and other nations over the next 18 months. Australia recognised a Palestinian state in September 2025.
Spain was the first European Union member state to join a claim made by South Africa at the International Court of Justice against Israel, accusing it of genocide in Gaza. Israel rejects this claim and a final ruling is not expected until 2030.
Spain has also pushed for the European Union to revoke an association agreement with Israel.
Given these disputes between Israel and Spain, the Israeli foreign minister bluntly rejected the latest claims against Israel, saying Sanchez was “shamelessly” lying.
“In his interview on Cadena SER today, he lied again, surprisingly accusing Israel of spreading false information about the events in Ceuta,” Sa’ar said
“This is a blatant lie.
“Continuing to spread defamatory lies will not divert attention from Sanchez’s shameful failure in managing his country’s affairs.”
Get a note directly from our foreign correspondents on what’s making headlines around the world. Sign up for our weekly What in the World newsletter.
David Crowe is Europe correspondent for The Sydney Morning Herald and The Age.Connect via X or email.
