Danny Danon, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, responded to Spanish criticism of Israel during the Ceuta crisis by noting that Spain still holds colonial enclaves in Africa. Spain's transport minister replied only that things were becoming clearer, a remark vague enough to be read several ways.
The unusual part came next. Dana Erlich, Israel's ambassador to Spain, said publicly that Danon's comment does not represent the position of the State of Israel. One ambassador disowning another in the open is not a routine clarification; it is a signal that the bilateral relationship is being managed on a different footing from the multilateral one.
The context is the crossing itself. Around 50,000 people entered Ceuta from Morocco on 30 and 31 July, and 57 bodies were recovered on the Spanish side, from drownings and from crushing at a breakwater. Italy suspended the Schengen agreement with Spain for a month.
Vagueness from Spanish officials has left room that others filled. Gabriel Rufian of the Republican Left of Catalonia asserted that Morocco had coordinated the crossing with the United States and Israel, and the commentator Carolina Alonso posted a similar claim. Nothing has been produced to support either.
Relations between the two countries have been strained since Spain recognised Palestinian statehood in May 2024, which is the backdrop against which a remark about enclaves stopped being a debating point and became an incident.