Turkey slams Israel's settlement expansion in O. Jerusalem

[ 10/12/2011 - 10:38 AM ]

ISTANBUL, (PIC)-- Turkey strongly denounced the Israeli government for building and expanding settlements in occupied Jerusalem, saying such action would undermine the efforts to reach a peace agreement with the Palestinian side. In a press release, the Turkish ministry of foreign affairs expressed its strong condemnation of Israel's new settlement activities in the occupied Palestinian lands especially its plan to build 650 housing units in Pisgat Ze'ev, east of Jerusalem, and 119 other units in Shiloh settlement in occupied West Bank. The foreign ministry stressed that Israel's persistence in settlement activities in defiance of the international law and the international community's appeals is the biggest obstacle to reviving the peace process and torpedoes the two-state solution efforts. The foreign ministry demanded Israel, as an occupation force ,to meet its obligations according to international law and cease immediately all its acts that kill peace chances.    Source and more at the Palestinian Information Center