The United Arab Emirates' Minister of State for Foreign Affairs, Anwar Gargash, said on Tuesday that his country's decision to normalize 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".
The signing of the deal does not mean “the job is over” but it’s a start for more stability and economic prosperity, he added.
The “very positive” deal with Israel will bring results “that we want to see”.
“We will be in a better place to help and support Palestinians in coming years, but they have to lead the way,” he continued, adding that suspending annexations of Palestinian lands will stop undermining the two-state solution.
“Taking annexations off the table is a common interest for us, the United States and European countries,” said Gargash.
Moreover, he stated the 2002 Arab peace initiative “remains the cornerstone of our commitment, but our approach of not communicating with Israel did not help.”
“It is not time to revise the Arab peace initiative,” he stressed.
