The Foreign Ministry condemned Israeli authorities' decision to legalize nine settlements, considered illegal even by Israeli laws, in the occupied West Bank.

"We condemn the decisions announced by the Israeli authorities on Feb. 12 to legalize and expand the illegal settlements of nine settlement outposts in the West Bank, which are considered illegal even under Israeli law," the ministry said in a statement.

Emphasizing that the unilateral moves further escalate tensions in the region, the ministry pointed to recent "extremely worrying developments and increasing civilian casualties in the West Bank" that have caused serious harm to the basis for lasting peace.

"We call on Israel to end these steps, which may trigger a new spiral of violence in the region, which are contrary to international law and established U.N. parameters," it added.

Last month, the Palestinian Authority (PA) decried plans by the incoming Israeli government to accelerate settlement-building in the occupied West Bank.

Israeli and Palestinian estimates indicate there are about 650,000 settlers living in 164 settlements and 116 outposts in the occupied West Bank.

Under international law, all Jewish settlements in the occupied territories are considered illegal.

Palestinians accuse Israel of systematically working to Judaize East Jerusalem, where Al-Aqsa is located, and to obliterate its Arab and Islamic identity.

For Muslims, Al-Aqsa represents the world's third-holiest site. Jews, for their part, call the area the Temple Mount, saying it was the site of two Jewish temples in ancient times.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Arab-Israeli War. It annexed the entire city in 1980, in a move never recognized by the international community.