Israel revels in Spain's migrant crisis while embarrassing ally Morocco
Israeli officials publicly mocked Spain over the Ceuta migrant crisis, in which at least 70 Moroccan migrants died, while simultaneously humiliating Morocco, an Israeli ally since 2020.
Intelligence analysis by Llama
Israeli leaders seized on the deaths of Moroccan migrants crossing into Spain's Ceuta enclave to attack Madrid over its Gaza stance, while also embarrassing Rabat, the country that normalized ties with Israel five years ago.
When a lot of people from Morocco tried to swim and walk into a Spanish town called Ceuta and many of them drowned, instead of being sad about it, some leaders in Israel made fun of Spain. They were angry because Spain doesn't support Israel's war in Gaza. But they also made their own friend, Morocco, look bad in the process.
Analysis
A tragedy turned into ammunition
When more than 60,000 Moroccan migrants surged toward the Spanish enclave of Ceuta last week, killing at least 70 people, the expected response from foreign capitals was condolence. Instead, Israeli Ambassador to the UN Danny Danon used the platform to taunt Madrid. National Security Minister Itamar Ben Gvir followed with a mocking "congratulations" to Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez, daring him to open Spain's doors to Palestinians from Gaza. The intervention, as MEE's reporting makes clear, was not aimed at Spain alone. By turning dead Moroccans into rhetorical weapons, Israeli officials also humiliated a government — Morocco's — that has treated its 2020 normalization deal with Israel as a source of diplomatic leverage ever since. The choice of Ceuta, a Spanish territory on Morocco's doorstep, ensured the message landed on both fronts simultaneously.
What Morocco appears to have gained
The deeper puzzle is Rabat's role. MEE cites a source close to Spain's foreign ministry saying officials privately believe Morocco deliberately orchestrated the crisis, a charge Madrid has not made publicly. Spanish intelligence reportedly received warnings of a surge around King Mohammed VI's Throne Day but failed to act. Buses were seen converging on the Moroccan border town of Fnideq before thousands moved on Ceuta. If the Moroccan state did open the gates, the strategic logic is opaque. Sanchez had invested heavily in reconciliation: his March 2022 letter endorsing Morocco's autonomy plan for Western Sahara, and his role in bringing Morocco into the 2030 World Cup bid alongside Spain and Portugal. Burning that goodwill to wound Sanchez over Gaza and Iran — a conflict Morocco has no direct stake in — would mark a dramatic shift in Rabat's risk calculus. Analysts like Denis Cenusa of CEPA frame it as part of a broader Israeli-American pressure campaign against Madrid for its stance on Gaza and the joint US-Israeli attacks on Iran.
The Ceuta question resurfaces
The crisis has also reopened a long-dormant sovereignty dispute. MEE reports that both Israel and the US have begun questioning Spain's hold over Ceuta and Melilla, the two Spanish enclaves on the North African coast that Morocco has long claimed. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, wanted for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza according to the article, has publicly accused Sanchez's government over its management of the territories. Linking the migration emergency to a territorial challenge from two close Israeli-American allies is a significant escalation, and one that comes at a moment when Sanchez's standing in Washington has already frayed. For Madrid, the immediate problem is stopping the bleeding at the border. For Rabat, it is explaining why normalization with Israel is producing humiliation rather than cover. And for Palestinians in Gaza, the spectacle of Israeli officials weaponizing African migrants' deaths to score points against a critic of the war is a stark reminder of how thoroughly the conflict has reshaped the region's diplomatic alignments.
Key points
- At least 70 Moroccan migrants died attempting to cross into Spain's Ceuta enclave, with more than 60,000 attempting the crossing
- Israeli officials, including UN Ambassador Danny Danon and Minister Itamar Ben Gvir, publicly mocked Spain over the crisis, tying it to Madrid's stance on Gaza
- Israel and the US have begun questioning Spain's hold over Ceuta and Melilla, territories long claimed by Morocco
- Spain privately believes Morocco deliberately opened the border gates, though it has not said so publicly
- The episode embarrasses Morocco, which normalized ties with Israel in December 2020 and has used the relationship for diplomatic leverage
If the Ceuta crisis de-escalates and Madrid secures credible cooperation from Rabat on border controls, the episode could become a catalyst for a frank renegotiation of the Spain-Morocco relationship rather than a permanent rupture. Pressure on Sanchez from Israel and the US may also harden European solidarity behind Spain within the EU, reinforcing a bloc skeptical of the Gaza war.
If Morocco did indeed orchestrate the crossing, it signals that Rabat is willing to weaponize migration against a European partner over an issue — Gaza — on which it has no direct stake, raising the cost of future normalization-style deals across the region. Renewed Israeli and US questioning of Spanish sovereignty over Ceuta and Melilla could open a new front in the long-running Western Sahara dispute, drawing in NATO allies on opposite sides.
