The mass crossing may have been a test of Spain’s ability to retain the strategic enclave, the British journalist has suggested
The mass migrant crossing into Spain’s enclave of Ceuta in North Africa may have been part of a coordinated US-Israeli campaign to challenge Madrid’s control of the Strait of Gibraltar, British journalist Martin Jay has suggested.
An estimated 60,000 migrants, mostly young men, swam from Morocco and crossed into Ceuta on Thursday and Friday in an unprecedented influx that triggered a security crisis in the city. Around 48,000 had voluntarily returned by Friday evening, according to the Spanish Interior Ministry.
Speaking to RT, Jay described the influx as a possible test by Rabat to determine how Spain and the enclave’s residents would react to an attempt to claim it for Morocco.
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“Perhaps they were trying to test the waters to see what would happen. Could the 84,000 Spanish residents there pack up and leave? Would that be a possibility? Could Morocco just simply take that territory, which they consider to be theirs?” Jay suggested.
Morocco has long claimed Ceuta and the nearby enclave of Melilla as its territory, viewing continued Spanish control as a legacy of European colonialism. The two enclaves have repeatedly become flashpoints in diplomatic rows between the two countries, with Morocco widely believed to have intentionally sparked a similar migrant influx in 2021 to pressure Madrid.
Jay also argued that Israeli support for Rabat could eventually give the West and its allies greater control over the strategically vital Strait of Gibraltar.
The allegation echoes claims by Iran that Washington and West Jerusalem helped coordinate the latest migrant surge to punish Spain for its Middle East policies. Neither country has acknowledged involvement.
