Dubai police chief draws outrage after comparing Israel to ‘Muslim occupation’ of Spain

Dubai police chief Dhahi Khalfan drew outrage on social media after a tweet saw him comparing Israel to what he called the “Muslim occupation of Spain.”

“Muslims occupied Al Andalus for eight centuries, and Al Andalus returned to its people. Be patient. Every power goes down, no matter the time,” Khalfan said.

Social media users were quick to react as floods of outraged tweets poured in, with many Twitter users poking fun at Khalfan’s “ignorance,” as they pointed to the many landmarks and cultural contributions left by Muslims in the Iberian Peninsula.

“A relationship with the Israeli people is possible, but not with the Israeli government,” Khalfan argued in another tweet.

Over 750,000 Palestinians were expelled from Palestine when West Jerusalem was occupied by Israel in the Arab-Israeli war of 1948. This is referred to as the Nakba, or catastrophe, when Israel was officially founded. Eastern Jerusalem was occupied by Israel in 1967, although this annexation has never been recognized internationally. A UN vote in December 2016 declared that Palestinian territories were under hostile occupation.