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A satellite NASA World Wind caption of Isla Perejil seen as a tiny island (top middle)

The Isla Perejil ("Parsley Island" in English; Arabic: Leila, "night" , local, i.e. Berber name: Tura) is a small, rocky islet located in the Strait of Gibraltar, 250 m off the coast of Morocco, 3.1 km from the Spanish exclave Ceuta.

The word Perejil is thought not to be derived from the plant name but to be a misderivation of "Perez Gil", the names of an owner/conqueror, but there is no evidence of that.^{[citation needed]}

In 1415 Portugal, along with the conquest of Ceuta, took possession of the nearby islet of Perejil from the Kingdom of Fez . Portugal then became united with Spain from 1580–1640. The island has been under Spanish control since 1668.^{[citation needed]}

The islet's sovereignty is nowadays disputed by Morocco and Spain. The vast majority of Spaniards and Moroccans had not heard of the islet until July 11, 2002, when a group of Moroccan soldiers set up base on the islet. The Moroccan government said that they set foot on the island in order to monitor illegal immigration, which was denied by the Spanish government since there was virtually no cooperation in the matter by that time (a repeated source of complaint from Spain). Later, after protests from the Spanish government, led by José María Aznar, the soldiers were replaced by Moroccan navy cadets who then installed a fixed base on the island. This further angered the Spanish government and both countries restated their claims to the islet. Spain was fully supported by almost all the European Union member states, with the exception of a rather cold shoulder from France and Portugal (whose government issued a statement merely regretting the incident), while Morocco had the official support from the Arab League, except for Algeria, which even took that occasion to insist on Algerian recognition of Spanish sovereignty over the exclaves of Ceuta and Melilla. This exception should be placed in a context of historic geopolitic tension between Morocco and Algeria, together with the fact that Spain is currently Algeria's third biggest trading partner (mostly based on the natural gas trade).

On the morning of July 18, Operation Recuperar Soberanía (Recover Sovereignty), was launched. The operation was successful and the Moroccan navy cadets were dislodged from the island in a matter of hours without offering any resistance to the Spanish commando attack force, Grupo de Operaciones Especiales. The operation was launched in conjunction with the Spanish Navy and Spanish Air Force. The captured Moroccans were transferred by helicopter to the headquarters of the Guardia Civil in Ceuta, from where they were transported to the Moroccan border. Over the course of the same day the Spanish commandos were replaced on the island by members of the Spanish Legion, who remained on the island until Morocco, after mediation by the United States, agreed to return to the status quo ante. The islet is now, once again, deserted.

Isla Perejil has no permanent human population. Goats are pastured there, and the Moroccan government expressed worries that smugglers and terrorists, in addition to illegal immigrants, were using the island, which doesn't sound likely nowadays since after the incident the island is well monitored from both sides in order to maintain the status quo that leaves it deserted and virtually a no man's land.

Morocco had been demanding the "return" of the Spanish exclaves Ceuta and Melilla. The crisis over Isla Perejil was viewed by the Spanish as a way for the Moroccans to test the waters in regard to Spain's will to defend its remaining North African possessions. The swift and overwhelming use of force to retake this strategically unimportant and uninhabited islet demonstrated Spain's desire to retain its foothold in North Africa.

Apart from Ceuta and Melilla, several other nearby territories and islands that are now controlled by Spain are occasionally claimed by Morocco. See Isla de Alborán, Islas Chafarinas, Peñón de Alhucemas, and Peñón de Vélez de la Gomera.

• Isla Perejil in Google Maps
• Moroccans seize Parsley Island and leave a bitter taste in Spanish mouths, Guardian Unlimited

• Plazas de soberanía
• List of Spanish Colonial Wars in Morocco
• Spanish Morocco

Coordinates: 35°55′N 5°25′W