ANKARA

ANKARA (AA) - The Israeli parliament's step toward annexation of the occupied West Bank is contrary to international law, said the Turkish Foreign Ministry on Wednesday, calling it "null and void."

"The West Bank, including East Jerusalem—which has been under Israeli occupation since 1967—is Palestinian territory," the ministry said in a statement.

It noted that the provocative step taken at a time when efforts to establish peace in Gaza are ongoing threatens the already fragile security and stability in the region.

Saying that Tel Aviv's "unlawful faits accomplis in the West Bank" should not be allowed, the statement stressed Ankara's determination to defend "inalienable rights of the Palestinian people and to support efforts toward the establishment of an independent and sovereign state of Palestine, based on the 1967 borders, with East Jerusalem as its capital and possessing geographical integrity.”

Turkish Vice President Cevdet Yilmaz also slammed the decision by Israel's parliament, calling it "sabotage towards the fragile ceasefire in Gaza and a threat to regional security."