The Turkish foreign ministry criticized in a statement recent Israeli plans to expand its illegal settlements in the West Bank, believing that the settlement and annexation policies would be doomed to failure.

The ministry said the intended construction of 12,000 settler homes in 2020 alone was the latest example of Israel’s unlawful and aggressive policies that violate international law and UN resolutions.

It asserted that Turkey would continue to support Palestine and make efforts for the establishment of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state based on 1967 borders with east Jerusalem as its capital.

The West Bank, including east Jerusalem, is regarded as occupied territory under international law, thus making all Jewish settlements there illegal.