United Left demands report on Morocco US Israel military ties

In Spain, United Left, a member of the Sumar coalition, has voiced concern over military cooperation between Morocco and the United States. Describing Morocco’s strategy as «hybrid warfare», the party is demanding that the government present a detailed report to the lower house on the military alliance between Rabat, Washington and Tel Aviv.

Against the backdrop of the July 30 migration crisis in Ceuta, the party wants the report to examine, in particular, Spain’s potential vulnerabilities in cybersecurity, weaponry and defence alliances.

The initiative follows the stance taken in the first days after the exodus of 70,000 migrants to Ceuta, when lawmakers described the arrivals as a «sovereignty crisis».

In a statement signed by spokesperson Enrique Santiago, along with MPs Francisco Sierra and Fèlix Alonso, the party accused Morocco of waging a campaign of «institutional blackmail and political destabilisation».

They argue that support from the United States and Israel has enabled Rabat to step up its use of asymmetric tools, including cyber-espionage technologies such as the Pegasus software, as well as the acquisition of Barak MX anti-missile systems and surveillance drones.

The parliamentary proposal also criticises certain positions taken by analysts and diplomats close to Israel, who are accused of undermining Spanish sovereignty by describing Ceuta and Melilla as «anachronistic colonial enclaves».

The three MPs believe such arguments opportunistically equate Spain’s presence in North Africa with territorial disputes in the Middle East.

United Left’s position is part of a broader opposition, on both the left and the right, to the strengthening of military cooperation between Morocco, the United States and Israel. In March 2023, Podemos had already sharply criticised a joint naval exercise between Moroccan and US forces off the Canary Islands.

This week, Cristina Valido, an MP for the Canary Coalition, questioned Foreign Minister José Manuel Albares over the strengthening of military ties between Morocco and the United States.