'A Palestinian state will not be established', says Israeli minister

Israel’s Economy and Industry Minister Nir Barkat firmly ruled out the creation of a Palestinian state in an interview on Israel's Channel 14 earlier this week. He also dismissed the idea of a single, democratic state in the entire region between the Jordan River and Mediterranean sea. Instead, he pushed what he calls the 'Emirates model' — fragmented areas of Palestinian autonomy that coexist alongside Israeli settlements across the occupied West Bank and must acknowledge Israel’s sovereignty. The alternative, he said, would be 'devastation like Gaza'. He summed up his message bluntly, saying Palestinians must choose between becoming 'Gaza or Dubai'.