Turkey slams Netanyahu's 'crazy' plans to annex occupied West Bank territories

Turkey has slammed a promise by Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu that Israel will seize Palestinian territories in the occupied West Bank if he wins this month's hotly-contested elections.

Omer Celik, spokesperson for Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), said that Netanyahu's pledge to annex Israeli settlements in the Palestinian territories "disregards international law".

"Netanyahu lately declared that he will annex settlements in West Bank if he wins elections. This statement clearly disregards UN Security Council resolutions and international law," Omer Celik said on Twitter, according to Anadolu.

Celik said that if Netanyahu goes ahead with promises to annex the West Bank territories he would be "destroying the law completely", given that Israel's claims and occupation of the Palestinian lands are illegal.   This would be a "major threat" to international law and security, he added.

"It is time for the international community to say stop to Netanyahu's craziness.

He also urged the international community to act together against Netanyahu's plans.

"Everyone should condemn this hate speech that surrounds Netanyahu. Netanyahu is clearly attacking the international community and law," Celik warned. 

"International community should protect its own values from Netanyahu’s aggression in a strong way."

Netanyahu pledged on Saturday to annex illegal settlements in the occupied West Bank if he wins the upcoming general election.

"I will apply (Israeli) sovereignty, but I don't distinguish between settlement blocs and isolated settlements," he said in an interview to Channel 12 television.

More than 400,000 Israelis live in West Bank settlements as part of its military occupation of the territory.

A further 200,000 live in settlements in occupied east Jerusalem, which is also considered illegal under international law.