Spain’s Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez has embraced anti-Semitic conspiracy theories that have been circulating in recent weeks. He places partial blame on Israel for the mass influx of illegal migrants and asylum seekers into the North African Spanish enclave of Ceuta last month. In an interview with a local radio station in Spain, Sanchez said that "Israeli social networks" had spread disinformation about a ruling by Spain’s Supreme Court that illegal migrants cannot be returned, which led, according to him, to tens of thousands of young Moroccans and others from Africa flocking to Ceuta. Sanchez did not provide any evidence for his claims.
In late July, there was a major crisis in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta, when tens of thousands of young people swam across from Morocco, attempting to seek asylum in Spain and be deported to the European mainland. Local residents were forced to stay indoors, fights broke out in the streets, and the Spanish government led by Sanchez, which had ignored warnings about the danger, was plunged into a political crisis over its inability to deal with the situation. Since then, thousands of illegal immigrants remain in Ceuta, and the issue continues to threaten Sanchez's minority government.
Sanchez’s accusations
Now, after the summer break, Sanchez has given an interview to a local Spanish radio station, blaming Israel, Russia and the "global right" for the incident. When asked if he knew the reason for the attack on Ceuta, Sanchez said, "A ruling by the Supreme Court was misrepresented and spread on social media as part of disinformation, among others by criminal gangs." Sanchez directly linked the disinformation campaign to Russia, Israel and "the international far-right that always uses immigration not only to attack Spain, but also Europe, and to divide it."
He continued, "There were Russian and Israeli networks that spread these lies and attacked the Spanish government and the Europeans on a sensitive issue like illegal immigration, which divides many European societies and creates polarization."
Sánchez explained that information on social media distorted the Supreme Court ruling that related to the return of those who arrived by sea, leading to the belief that those who swam to Ceuta would not be deported. "This type of deception was exploited and spread on social media. That's what we know."
In doing so, Sánchez is adopting anti-Semitic conspiracy theories that spread in radical left circles in the days following the incident, in which Israel encouraged the illegal immigrants to storm Ceuta, as "revenge" for Spanish criticism of the occupation of Palestinian territories and its attempts to impose sanctions on Israel at the EU. Research has shown that the theories gained traction in the following weeks among the radical left, and were also spread and encouraged by Spanish celebrities, including the actor Javier Bardem. Sánchez's endorsement of these claims, without providing any evidence, constitutes another attack on Israel by the Spanish prime minister.
Israel’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Gideon Sa'ar strongly condemned the remarks, Sanchez is, "Lying... and amazingly accuses Israel of spreading disinformation on the events in Ceuta. This is brazen lie," Foreign Minister Sa'ar wrote on the X network, adding that "Continuing to spread lies and slander will not distract from Sanchez's disgraceful failure to manage his country's affairs."
Published by Globes, Israel business news - en.globes.co.il - on August 31, 2026.
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