Israel PM Netanyahu orders plans for 1,060 new units in E. Jerusalem

Israeli daily Haaretz quoted unnamed officials in Netanyahu's office as saying that 660 of these units will be constructed in the northern neighborhood of Ramot Shlomo, and another 400 in Har Homa in the south.

Ramot Shlomo settlement was built on the Palestinian neighborhood of Shuafat while Har Homa was installed on the neighborhood of Jabal Abu Ghneim.

Israel occupied East Jerusalem during the 1967 Middle East War. It unilaterally annexed the holy city in 1980, claiming it as the capital of the self-proclaimed Jewish state – a move never recognized by the international community.

Sacred to both Muslims and Jews, Jerusalem is home to the Al-Aqsa Mosque, which for Muslims represents the world's third holiest site. Jews refer to the area as the "Temple Mount," claiming it was the site of two prominent Jewish temples in ancient times.

Palestinians accuse Israel of waging an aggressive campaign to "Judaize" the city with the aim of effacing its Arab and Islamic identity and ultimately driving out its Palestinian inhabitants.

International law considers the West Bank and East Jerusalem occupied territories taken by Israel in 1967, viewing all Jewish settlement building as illegitimate.

Palestinian negotiators insist that Israeli settlement building must stop before the resumption of stalled peace talks with Israel.

Anadolu Agency