Isla Perejil (Parsley Island, Arabic: Leila ("night")) is a small, rocky island in the Mediterranean Sea, 200m off the coast of Morocco, 5km from Ceuta. It is claimed by both Spain and Morocco. Spain bases its claim on its being missing from Morocco's independence treaty.
In 1415, Portugal conquered the island. Portugal then became united with Spain from 1580-1640. The island has been under Spanish control since 1668. It was occupied on July 11, 2002 by Moroccan police and troops, who were evicted without bloodshed by Spanish naval forces. On July 20, 2002, Spain agreed to withdraw its troops from the island provided Morocco does not use it.
Isla Perejil has no permanent human population. Goats are pastured there, and the Moroccan government expressed worries that smugglers and terrorists were using the island. It has been suggested that the Moroccan "mafia" uses the island for illegal immigration purposes.
- see also: Ceuta, Melilla
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.
Leila also refers to a chess engine. See Leila (chess) .
