South Korea has urged Israel to withdraw its move to expand illegal Israeli settlements in the occupied West Bank. 

A South Korean foreign ministry spokesperson on Thursday issued a statement expressing serious concerns about Israel’s recent legalization of illegal outposts and land seizures in the occupied West Bank in a campaign to expand Israeli settlements. 

The spokesperson said the construction of Israeli settlements is illegal under international law, undermines the foundation of the two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and impairs the international community’s efforts to ease regional tensions.

The statement said the South Korean government urges the parties involved to refrain from any escalatory actions and prioritize efforts to end the crisis in Gaza. 

Israel has been drawing widespread criticism after it legalized Jewish outposts and approved in June the largest land seizure in the occupied West Bank in more than three decades.