Turkey on Thursday condemned Israel’s approval of new plans to construct over 3,500 additional illegal settlement units in occupied East Jerusalem.
“The settlements built by Israel in the occupied Palestinian territories contravene international law, including UN resolutions,” the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“These new illegitimate acts are aimed at rendering a contiguous State of Palestine physically impossible, while also seriously damaging the vision of a two-state solution and the ground for lasting peace,” said the ministry.
The statement came after the approval of five settlement plans containing 3,557 new settlement units in occupied East Jerusalem by a local Israeli planning committee.
Israel has in recent years intensified its settlement activities in East Jerusalem.
The West Bank, including East Jerusalem, is regarded as occupied territory under international law, making all Jewish settlements there illegal.
