Turkey lambasts Israel over new West Bank settlements

By Merve Aydogan

ANKARA (AA) - Turkey on Sunday strongly condemned Israeli authorities for reportedly approving new settlement units in the occupied West Bank.

"Reports of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu approving additional illegal settlements in the West Bank is a new proof of this country's occupier ideology, which disregards international law and the United Nations resolutions," the Turkish Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

Stressing that the recent development proves that Israel has not given up on its "annexation policy", the statement said: "Recent claims by some countries that they have halted the implementation of these [annexation] plans by signing a normalization agreement with Israel, clearly shows that it is merely a hoax."

It emphasized that Turkey does not recognize "these illegitimate steps of Israel," and called on international community to resist efforts that attack the rights of the Palestinian people and their ideal of independence.

Noting that Palestinian lands belong to the people of Palestine, the statement said Turkey will continue to stand by the people of Palestine, and support their cause.