Dahi Khalfan Tamam
Dahi Khalfan TamamReuters

The head of general security for the Dubai Emirate, Lieutenant General Dahi Khalfan Tamim, stated Monday that Palestinians should abandon their aspiration for an independent state and instead merge with Israeli Jews in a bi-national state.

In a series of remarks published on his Twitter account Monday afternoon, Tamim explained his idea, saying among other things that a Palestinian state led by Arabs would join the list of failed states in the Arab world. 

According to Tamim, the dream of a Palestinian state will never come true, since "Israel will only recognize Palestine if Palestinians become part of it."

"I suggest relinquishing the idea of a Palestinian state and being satisfied with an Israeli state that would include both Israelis and Palestinians and join the Arab League," he added.

"Today, the Jews are heading the world's economy, without the Jews you Arabs would not have known how to deposit your money in the bank," Tamim continued.

In view of what he described as the Arabs’ incompetence in running a state and the economic talents of Jews, Tamim claimed that a joint Jewish-Palestinian state would prosper under Israeli leadership.

However, he added, this bi-national state would ultimately become an Arab state, and Jews would become a minority.

"Seventy years after the bi-national state would be established, the Arab minority would become the majority and rule the state, just like it happened in South Africa," Tamim tweeted.

In another tweet, the Dubai security chief wrote: "We should not treat Jews as our enemies. We should treat them as cousins with whom we have a controversy over land inheritance."

While arousing controversy, the tweets appear to reflect a recent dramatic shift in relations between Israel and the Gulf states. Following Iran’s growing threat to the region, these states have moved closer to Israel, following the precept that says “my enemy’s enemy is my friend.”

Tamim gained fame in 2010 when he presented Dubai security forces' analysis of security tapes showing what he alleged were Mossad agents who assassinated senior PLO terrorist Mahmoud al-Mabhouh.