On Thursday evening, the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs strongly condemned the Israeli regime's approval of the settlement plan in the E1 area, which divides East Jerusalem from the West Bank.
The Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs regarded this action as a clear violation of international law and United Nations resolutions, as well as a violation of Palestinian territorial integrity and the fundamental principles of the two-state solution, and noted that this initiative aimed to undermine the hopes for lasting peace.
The Turkish Foreign Ministry reiterated that the only path to a just and lasting peace in the region was the establishment of an independent and contiguous state of Palestine on the basis of the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital, and said, "We will continue to support the legitimate cause and steadfast efforts of the Palestinian people."
Bezalel Smotrich, Israel's Finance Minister and Defence Ministry official in charge of settlement affairs, announced the approval of the construction of 3,401 new settlement units near Ma'ale Adumim, as well as 3,515 more units in an adjacent area.
Smotrich remarked that this plan would break the geographical continuity between the Palestinian areas of Ramallah and Bethlehem and connect Ma'ale Adumim with Jerusalem.
The E1 plan, which had been suspended for years due to international pressure, is regarded as a strategic area by Palestinians and the international community, and it is stated that without this area, it is not possible to establish an independent state of Palestine with its capital in East Jerusalem.