MADRID, Spain – Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez said Monday there were signs Russia and Israel had spread disinformation over Spain’s migration policy that triggered last month’s rush of migrants into Ceuta, but no evidence of Moroccan involvement.

Over 72,000 migrants irregularly crossed from Morocco into the tiny Spanish territory between July 30 and 31 in an unprecedented surge at one of the European Union’s only two land borders with Africa, prompting alarm across the bloc. At least 100 people died in the attempt, according to Ceuta’s local authorities.

Spanish opposition parties and some human rights groups had accused Rabat of deliberately allowing the mass crossing, an accusation Morocco has denied.

“When people talk and speculate about the participation of Moroccan authorities, I deny this outright,” Sanchez told radio station SER.

Videos on Instagram, TikTok and other social media spread misleading claims that migrants reaching Ceuta by sea could remain in Spain, encouraging thousands to attempt the crossing, Spanish authorities have said.

Sanchez said research by the EU’s diplomatic service, EEAS, had indicated that Russian and Israeli networks had been behind the spread of disinformation in conjunction with far-right networks.

“After July 30 and 31, rumors and disinformation spread on social networks linked to Russia and Israel, and to an ultra-right international that always uses migration to attack both Spain and Europe and divide it,” he alleged.

Sanchez said it was clear that the two countries had used the crisis to criticize........

© The Times of Israel