Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez claimed on Monday that Israel and Russia promoted false information related to the mass arrival of migrants in Ceuta last month. Ceuta is a Spanish enclave on the North African coast.
According to Sánchez, both countries exploited the migration crisis to criticize his government, stemming from disagreements over Spain's positions on the wars in Ukraine and the Middle East.
The Spanish leader said his assertion was based on research conducted by the European Union's External Action Service (EEAS). "After the events that occurred on July 30 and 31, there was a wave of rumors and disinformation on social networks, from accounts linked to Russia and Israel", Sánchez stated. "These countries spread and amplified disinformation related to the mass entry of migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta last month".
Sánchez further noted that "it is clear that Israel and Russia exploited the crisis to attack us, as they have been in dispute with Madrid over our positions on the wars. The far right around the world uses the immigration issue not only to attack Spain, but also to harm Europe and divide it".
The accusations come amid ongoing tensions between Spain and Israel over Madrid's stance on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, as well as Spain's support for Ukraine in its war with Russia.
