Ankara: Trkiye's Foreign Ministry has issued a strong condemnation of Israel's recent approval to build settlements in the E1 area of the West Bank. The ministry emphasized that this move could effectively separate the West Bank from East Jerusalem, undermining international law and United Nations resolutions. According to Anadolu Agency, the Turkish Foreign Ministry expressed concerns that the settlement plans threaten the territorial integrity of the State of Palestine, which is crucial for a two-state solution and hopes for lasting peace. The Ministry communicated this stance through a statement on the Turkish social media platform Next Sosyal. It reiterated that a just and lasting peace in the region can only be achieved through the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian State, with geographical integrity based on the 1967 borders and East Jerusalem as its capital. The Turkish Foreign Ministry also reaffirmed its support for the Palestinian people's cause and their determined struggle . The condemnation follows reports from Israeli media that Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich has approved the construction of 3,401 settler units in Ma'ale Adumim, east of Jerusalem, and 3,515 additional units in the surrounding areas. This development is seen as an attempt to divide the West Bank into two parts, severing connections between its northern and southern cities and isolating East Jerusalem. The International Court of Justice had previously declared in an advisory opinion last July that Israel's occupation of Palestinian territory is illegal, calling for the evacuation of all settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.