Spanish transport minister's tweet fuels Israel blame amid Ceuta migrant surge

Israeli UN ambassador Danny Danon criticized Spain on X for its response to an unprecedented wave of migrants entering the North African enclave of Ceuta, suggesting the country’s colonial holdings were a factor. Óscar Puente, Spain’s transport minister, retweeted Danon's post and wrote a brief remark that was read by Spanish media as endorsing theories that Israel—or even the United States—was behind the surge. The speculation spread among commentators, lawmakers and journalists, who tied the crisis to Spain’s vocal opposition to Israel’s actions in Gaza, despite the absence of any concrete proof.

Israel’s chargé d’affaires, Dana Erlich, clarified that Danon's comments did not reflect official policy. In response to the influx of about 49,000 migrants in less than a day, Madrid declared a state of emergency, sent military units, naval and air assets, and diving teams to the coast, while Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez condemned the episode as an attack on Spain’s territorial integrity. The episode has intensified already strained diplomatic relations between Madrid and Jerusalem.