UAE official says accord with Israel will give region more leverage

The United Arab Emirates' minister of state for foreign affairs, Anwar Gargash, said on Tuesday that his country's decision to normalise ties with Israel has "broken the psychological barrier" and was "the way forward" for the region, creating more leverage.

He said Israel suspending its planned annexation of Palestinian land would stop the two-state solution being undermined. Gargash said a strategic breakthrough is needed but "it will not happen overnight".

(Reporting bY Aziz El Yaakoubi; Writing by Yousef Saba; Editing by Catherine Evans)