EU avoids mentioning Israel in Ceuta crisis, fueling doubts

EU avoids mentioning Israel in Ceuta crisis, fueling doubts

Why does the European Union admit that Russia tried to exploit the Ceuta crisis but stops short of concluding that it provoked it? The answer, repeated this week by a senior official, sketches a carefully ambiguous narrative that has set off every alarm bell.

"In the case of Ceuta, we saw attempts by Russia to exploit the crisis online. However, we have no conclusive evidence suggesting that the crisis itself was triggered by disinformation from foreign state actors," the official declared, without mentioning Israel at any point.

The statement, reported by El Español, separates two levels: the subsequent propaganda effort and the authorship of the outbreak. A technically impeccable distinction. But in the current climate of distrust toward institutions, omitting an actor already dogged by recurring suspicions amounts, for many, to confirming them.

In the more conspiratorial circles, the silence is read as proof of a cover-up. The scenario of a geopolitical plot orchestrated from Israel or by private interests is gaining traction on social media, even though the EU insists there is no data. The reality is more prosaic: a migration crisis with lapses of control, digital disinformation and a diplomacy that does not want to get its fingers burned.

Meanwhile, European funds keep flowing to the countries of the region, a recurring controversy that some sum up bitterly: there is money for whichever regime is in power but not for the taxpayer who funds it.

In the absence of evidence, the official account amounts to "anything is possible." In an age of post-truth, that too is a statement of intent.