Turkey Strongly Condemns Israeli Move To Build More Settlements

Turkey has strongly condemned an Israeli decision to build 78 more Jewish homes in East Jerusalem, stressing that the move is aimed at further escalating tensions.

Ankara's protest follows an announcement by Israel on Wednesday that it approved the construction of 78 new homes in two settlements on West Bank land annexed to Jerusalem, likely to aggravate Palestinian anger at a time when violence has flared, including a deadly attack on a synagogue.

Jerusalem's municipal planning committee authorized 50 new housing units in Har Homa and 28 in Ramot. Israel describes those two urban settlements as neighborhoods of Jerusalem.

Jerusalem has seen unrest in the past few weeks due to an Israeli incursion into the Noble Sanctuary, which houses the Al-Aqsa Mosque, Islam's third holiest place. In addition, two Palestinians killed five people in a Jerusalem synagogue attack on Tuesday.

The Palestinians have also been angered by a plans Israel has recently advanced for about 4,000 housing units on West Bank land annexed to the city.

The Palestinians want to establish a state in East Jerusalem, the occupied West Bank and the Gaza Strip, territories captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East War. They fear the Israeli enclaves will deny them having a contiguous territory.

Israel's settlement activities have drawn criticism from the European Union and the United States, which like most countries view the Israeli settlements as illegal.

Turkey also frequently condemns Israeli decisions to build more settlements in occupied Palestinian territories. Both countries are at odds since a deadly Israeli raid on Turkish aid ship Mavi Marmara in 2010, which challenged an Israeli-imposed embargo on Gaza.

Israel regards Jerusalem, including parts of the city captured in 1967, as its "indivisible" capital. US-brokered peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians broke down in April.

Turkey described the settlement buildings in Thursday's statement as a "unilateral step" in violation of international law and said they were "unacceptable." It added that these steps, despite condemnation and warning by Turkey and the world, serve no purpose but to escalate tension between Israelis and Palestinians.

(Cihan/Today's Zaman)