In a rare public move, Dana Erlich, head of the Israeli mission to Spain, said that Ambassador Danny Danon's remarks about Spanish colonial enclaves do not represent Israel's official position, according to N12. The clarification follows a diplomatic row sparked by Danon's comments earlier Friday.
In a rare public break with a sitting UN ambassador, the head of the Israeli mission to Spain, Dana Erlich, stated Friday evening that Ambassador Danny Danon's remarks about Spanish colonial enclaves do not represent the official position of the State of Israel. Erlich's statement, reported by N12, came after Danon's comments earlier Friday sparked a diplomatic row, drawing a sharp response from Spanish Transport Minister Oscar Puente, who suggested that Israel was exploiting the crisis.
The Zioneer reported earlier Friday that Danon, speaking on X, called on Spain to explain why it continues to hold colonial territories in Africa, referencing the mass migration crisis in the Spanish enclave of Ceuta. Puente responded that the 'picture is becoming clearer,' implying Israeli involvement — a theory that has circulated in the last 24 hours without substantiation.
The clarification by Erlich, a senior diplomat stationed in Madrid, is unusual in its public nature. The incident adds to the mounting diplomatic tensions surrounding the Ceuta crisis, which has seen over 60,000 migrants cross into the enclave, prompting Spain's European neighbors to tighten border controls and summon ambassadors. The Zioneer has covered the crisis extensively, including Spain's summons of the Italian ambassador and France's deployment of reinforcements along its border with Spain.
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