Israel denies any role in mass migrant entry into Ceuta, Spain

Israel denies its role in Ceuta's migration crisis

A foreign diplomat steps forward to deny something that, in theory, was never hers to explain. Dana Elrich, Israel's chargé d'affaires in Spain, distanced her country from the mass entry of migrants recorded in Ceuta in late July. And she did so with a phrase that works more as a jab than a defence: she reproached the Spanish government for speaking "without information, without reports, and with disinformation that repeats a lie".

What exactly Israeli diplomacy said

Elrich said she was surprised that the government linked Israel —and Russia as well— to the migratory flow towards the autonomous city. "That Israel is mentioned in that context, instead of talking about Ceuta's security, while Spain is in a national emergency, still surprises me," she declared, according to the EFE news agency. The denial does not question that the entry took place. It questions who would have organised it and why a diplomatic partner was singled out.

The underlying dispute: who is responsible for the border

Some argue that the security of Ceuta's perimeter is the exclusive competence of the Spanish state and that blaming third countries for what is not contained at the border amounts to dodging responsibility. On the other side weighs another argument: the accusation would not have been casual, but an expression of a diplomatic relationship soured by the recognition of Palestine and by the treatment of Israel in international forums. Neither side has presented conclusive public evidence. The exchange of accusations, meanwhile, leaves Ceuta where it started: with more questions than reports.

The uncomfortable detail is that the Israeli denial has put the spotlight on something that was never officially documented. The suspicion was left hanging in the air. The proof, at this point, still has not been shown.