A recent study conducted by the Combat Antisemitism Movement (CAM) revealed that a staggering 173 publications from 119 influential accounts have portrayed the mass influx of migrants into the Spanish enclave of Ceuta as a carefully orchestrated operation involving the Mossad, the CIA, and Morocco, allegedly aimed at punishing Madrid for its stance on Gaza. This narrative has garnered over 57 million direct views and has the potential to reach 103 million users. Researchers from the Antisemitism Research Center (ARC), who carried out this analysis using an unpublished methodology, reported nearly 1.9 million 'likes' and over 300,000 shares on the social media platform X within just 72 hours. Within this discourse, three dominant narratives emerged: the first positions Israel as the primary instigator, the second frames immigration as a demographic weapon wielded by Jewish interests, and the third reduces Morocco to the role of executor in this alleged conspiracy.
On July 30 and 31, tens of thousands of individuals, primarily young Moroccans, crossed the border from Morocco into the occupied territory of Ceuta, which is home to approximately 84,000 residents. The Spanish Ministry of the Interior estimated around 50,000 entries within a 24-hour period, while the autonomous city president, Juan Jesús Vivas, suggested that the total number of crossings during this crisis could be as high as 60,000. By the morning of August 1, the same ministry reported that 48,000 individuals had been sent back to Morocco. Interior Minister Fernando Grande-Marlaska cited a provisional death toll of 67, many of whom drowned or were crushed in the chaos. Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez condemned the incident as an 'attack on Spanish territorial integrity,' attributing the organization of the crossings to trafficking networks while expressing gratitude towards Rabat for its cooperation.
A decision by the Spanish Supreme Court on June 29 has fueled speculation regarding the opening of maritime borders. This ruling prohibits immediate expulsions of individuals intercepted at sea, which means that migrants who swim into Ceuta or Melilla are now subject to regular legal procedures, including access to legal assistance and asylum. Juan Jesús Vivas has called this a 'gap' that must be addressed and is pushing for a change in the law. Observers suggest that this judicial development is the most credible explanation for the surge in migrants, despite the lack of a direct causal link. Following its media coverage in July, a rumor about the opening of maritime borders spread rapidly through platforms like WhatsApp, TikTok, Instagram, and Telegram, with some reports indicating the circulation of swim route maps from Castillejos and Fnideq, alongside the sale of wetsuits on Facebook. Many teenagers, aged sixteen and seventeen, reported hearing about the situation through social media.
Within hours, a competing narrative began to gain traction online. The actor Javier Bardem shared a message on Instagram that implicated Israel and the far-right in benefiting from a weakened Spain. Gabriel Rufián, spokesperson for the Republican Left of Catalonia (ERC), described Morocco as acting 'in the service of the United States and Israel.' Carolina Alonso, a former spokesperson for Podemos, labeled King Mohammed VI as an 'agent of Zionism' in several posts shared on X, which were archived by the Observatory of Conspiracy Theories, the publisher of the website Conspiracy Watch.
Spanish Minister of Transportation Óscar Puente shared a tweet from Israeli UN ambassador Danny Danon, demanding that Spain explain its 'colonial enclaves' in Africa, commenting that things were beginning to become clear—a gesture interpreted by Israel Hayom as an endorsement of the theory of Israeli involvement. Furthermore, the same observatory documented claims made by French lawyer Juan Branco, asserting that the destabilization had been orchestrated by the Moroccan king in collaboration with Benjamin Netanyahu and Donald Trump. Pascal Boniface, director of the Institute for International and Strategic Relations (IRIS), suggested that the incident could be a retaliatory operation against the Spanish government, a statement later removed following accusations of conspiracy theories. Tomasz Froelich, a Member of the European Parliament from Alternative for Germany (AfD), referred to the situation as a hybrid attack serving Moroccan, American, and Israeli interests, while American influencer Candace Owens blended various historical and contemporary references in a message that reached 1.3 million views, invoking classic anti-Semitic motifs.
The material basis for these accusations remains tenuous, primarily relying on a 2019 tweet from Yair Netanyahu calling for the liberation of the two enclaves, a March 2026 op-ed by Michael Rubin from the American Enterprise Institute urging a new Green March by Morocco, and an April article published by Israeli site Ynet authored by Amine Ayoub from the Middle East Forum. Researcher María López Belloso from the University of Deusto noted a rhetorical convergence regarding Madrid but found no evidence of coordinated action. Dana Erlich, the Israeli chargé d'affaires in Spain, publicly disavowed her ambassador's comments, stating that they 'do not represent the position of the State of Israel.' American political scientist Michael Shurkin countered that 'Schadenfreude' does not equate to complicity or responsibility.
The Cyfluence Research Center (CRC), based in Berlin, mapped five narrative blocks on X and Reddit in eleven languages within 24 hours of the initial crossings. The narratives of religious invasion and the failure of Pedro Sánchez's policies predominated, while the Israeli-American thesis, with moderate intensity, circulated around control of the Strait of Gibraltar. One post supporting this theory garnered over 4,400 replications, while another attributing the situation to Spanish intelligence received 2,943, none of which relied on public evidence. RT, a channel sanctioned by the European Union (EU), and the network of Pravda sites amplified these narratives, as documented by the CRC.
Both the right-wing and far-right factions have exploited the same imagery for their agendas. Former President Donald Trump referred to the situation as an 'invasion' during a cabinet meeting at Camp David on July 31, promising to use it as a talking point for the upcoming midterm elections on November 3. The White House blamed Madrid's 'far-left globalist policies,' while American diplomacy condemned the violation of sovereignty. Figures like Stephen Miller and Laura Loomer shared videos of the crossings. In Ceuta, Santiago Abascal demanded the permanent militarization of the border and labeled the Moroccan actions as an 'act of war.' Alberto Núñez Feijóo, leader of the People's Party (PP), described it as a premeditated occupation, while Isabel Díaz Ayuso, president of the Community of Madrid, characterized it as a test from Rabat that is likely to recur. Far-right figures Éric Zemmour, Marion Maréchal, and Jordan Bardella echoed the rhetoric of invasion and remigration, a term chanted by hundreds of protesters in front of the Moroccan embassy in Madrid on Friday evening.
As reported by barlamane.com.
