What started as a stupid border incident escalated into a short but bloody war that changed forever the politics of Northern Africa and Spain. Morocco's need for a patriotic rallying to distract people from everyday problems, Spain's secular fear of the ancestral enemies - the Moors - and other underlying causes, such as illegal immigration, disputes on fishing rights, and the scars of the Sahara conflict, combined into an explosive mix that a single spark could have ignited.
Morocco's occupation of Isla Perejil was that spark. The crisis started as a tiny incident, that escalated until no one was able to stop the war machinery, or perhaps no one wanted it to stop.
July 11th, 2002: At 7.00 AM Moroccan gendarmes land in Perejil Island and raise a Moroccan flag above it. This operative was approved the day before and it is intended as a show of strength against the Spanish the same week that young king Mohammed is getting married. The Moroccans doubt Spain attempts to evict them from the worthless island, but routine military emergency plans are activated, just in case.
11 AM: A Spanish Guardia Civil patrol boat approaches the island. When the Guardia Civil agents try to land, the Moroccan gendarmes force them back at gunpoint.
14 PM: Most Spanish news broadcasters mention the incident but don't give it a great importance.
17 PM: First contacts between Spanish and Moroccan diplomats.
20 PM: The Rabat government announces that Moroccan forces in Perejil are there to stay since it belongs to Morocco. All over the country people celebrates the liberation of Perejil, alongside with the King's wedding.
July 12th, 2002: Spanish forces in North Africa are put in alert, while several warships are dispatched to Ceuta.
12PM: Spanish foreign affairs minister Ana Palacio speaks to her Moroccan counterpart Benaissa. Benaissa states that Perejil is Moroccan territory and that the Moroccan gendarmerie has only set up a watching outpost to monitor illegal immigration and drug smuggling.
3PM (POINT OF DIVERGENCE): A Spanish patrol boat enters the channel between Perejil and the Moroccan coast and exchanges shots with 3 Moroccan patrol boats. Apparently, the Moroccan boats fire on the Spanish one after its crew tries to land on the island. [In OTL both patrol boats faced off but no gunshots were fired]
5PM: Spanish PM Aznar is informed of the patrol boats incident. Since last fall, diplomatic relationships between both countries have been freezed due to disputes over fishing rights on the Moroccan coast and the alleged Moroccan non cooperation on the illegal immigration issue. Aznar knows that this is a provocation, occupying an island of 0 economical or strategical value, but this time he is decided to answer- with force, if necessary.
7PM: Since it is unclear who fired first, Moroccan officers are afraid that Spain would try to take the island back by force. It is decided that Moroccan forces facing Ceuta and Melilla will be reinforced.
In the middle of an unusually hot summer, the Perejil Incident has become the conversation theme. While the average Spaniard thinks this is a really lame incident, and that things will be sorted out peacefully. The overall insignificance of the island only makes things more ridiculous. In the rest of Europe and North America commentators mock this “Goat War”, after the goats that are the only inhabitants of the island.
July 13th, 2002: Spanish frigates Numancia and Navarra arrive to the port of Ceuta, being greeted by the population. Unlike the jesting attitude in mainland Spain, morale in Ceuta and Melilla is very different: all kinds of crazy rumors about Moroccan artillery pointing directly to the city center and suspicious troop movements in the other side of the border spread. [In OTL these rumors were widespread in Ceuta and Melilla but turned out to be false or greatly exaggerated. In TTL, due to the greater tension since the first days and the Moroccan redeployment, they'll turn out to be true]
12PM: Danish presidency of the European Union condemns the incident and expresses support for the Spanish. Only France and Portugal will not openly condemn the Moroccan takeover.
17PM: Tension keeps building up in North Africa when a Spanish frigate approaches the Island.
20PM: In Washington, the US government promises support to Spain, but warns that any premature force demonstration will be frowned upon.
July 14th, 2002: Spanish and Moroccan diplomats reunite to agree to a diplomatic solution to the incident. In fact, this meeting is more of a smoke curtain, since the Moroccan army is preparing a military force to substitute the gendarmes. Meanwhile, several infantry and artillery units are being moved towards Ceuta and Melilla.
14PM: Another armed incident happens between Spanish and Moroccan patrol boats. Spanish TV broadcasts images of bullet holes in the hull of a Spanish patrol boat.
