Turkey urges Israel to refrain from new settlement bid

ANKARA, Dec. 29 (Xinhua) -- Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs on Tuesday urged Israel to refrain from a bid to build new settlement units in East Jerusalem.

Israel should think about its decision once again and refrain from such actions in Palestinian territories under occupation, the ministry said in a statement.

"The decision to enlarge the settlement units is clearly a violation of the international law. The decision can harm efforts to revive the peace process in the region and lead to distrust between the parties," said the statement.

On Monday, the Israeli Ministry of Construction and Housing announced it is seeking bids for construction of about 700 new apartments in East Jerusalem.

The tenders will include 692 housing units in three Jewish communities in East Jerusalem and they are expected to be finished in two or three years, according to a ministry spokesman.

Jewish neighborhoods in East Jerusalem, captured by Israel in 1967 and later annexed, are considered by international community as Israeli settlements and one of the main obstacles to Israeli-Palestinian peace process.