Spanish MEP appeals to Netanyahu to back Spain's sovereignty amid Ceuta border crisis

A Spanish MEP, Juan Carlos Girauta, appealed to Israeli PM Netanyahu to support Spain's sovereignty during a massive border crisis in Ceuta, where tens of thousands crossed from Morocco, leaving at least 83 dead. The crisis overwhelmed the enclave, prompting political disputes and accusations of hypocrisy from Israel's UN ambassador.

A Spanish member of the European Parliament, Juan Carlos Girauta, made a direct appeal to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to speak out in defense of Spain's territorial integrity amid a massive border crisis in Ceuta. Girauta told The Media Line, "With my greatest admiration and respect for Netanyahu's life story and courage, I ask Netanyahu to speak out in defense of Spain's territorial integrity, because the Spanish government is not Spain." The scale of the influx from Morocco was difficult to measure. Spain initially estimated that just under 50,000 people entered on Thursday, July 30, and the total reached close to 60,000 over the next several days. By Monday, Aug. 3, police sources said about 69,500 had returned to Morocco. Ceuta itself has only about 84,000 residents. The border controls were overwhelmed, and much of Ceuta stopped functioning: shops closed, bread became difficult to find, and residents reported thefts and looting. Between 3,000 and 5,000 migrants were still in the city, and Spanish authorities had taken responsibility for 862 unaccompanied children. The human toll was becoming clearer: Spanish officials reported 72 deaths on the Spanish side, while Morocco's Foreign Ministry reported 11 deaths on the Moroccan side. More than 1,000 people received medical treatment. For Ceuta's Jewish community, the crisis brought fear but no reported antisemitic attacks. José Bentolila, president of Ceuta's Jewish community, said the synagogue and other communal sites already receive discreet police protection. The political dispute reached Madrid, Brussels, and Jerusalem. Israel's ambassador to the UN, Danny Danon, accused Spain of hypocrisy for deploying troops in Ceuta after criticizing Israeli security policies. Israel's chargé d'affaires in Spain, Dana Erlich, distanced the government from the post. Girauta called the mass crossing "hybrid warfare" and accused Moroccan authorities of allowing or encouraging it, though public evidence has not established that Morocco organized the influx.