Ankara condemns Israel’s new settlement plan in West Bank

The Turkish Foreign Ministry has condemned Israeli authorities for their decision to speed up illegal settlement activities and plan new constructions in West Bank.

"We condemn the Israeli authorities' increased illegal settlement activities and the announced plans for the construction of 4,500 new illegal settlement units in at least 19 localities of the West Bank," the ministry said in a written statement on June 19.

Noting that the acts by the Israeli government seriously undermine permanent peace and are completely against international law and U.N. parameters, the ministry dubbed the settlement activities "unacceptable."

"Türkiye will continue to support the efforts towards the establishment of an independent, sovereign and contiguous State of Palestine on the basis of 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital," it stated.

Israel's government on June 18 granted a pro-settlement firebrand authority over planning in the occupied West Bank and lifted red tape on the settlement housing approval process.

The changes make it easier for Israel to expand its settlements on land the Palestinians seek as the heartland of their future state, at a time when hopes for peace are more distant than ever.