Russia, on Tuesday, condemned the Israeli occupation authorities’ decision to open bidding for the construction of hundreds of new settler units, southeast of Jerusalem.
 The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Russian Federation condemned Israel’s decision to move ahead with the construction of 1,257 settler units in the colonial settlement of Givat Hamatos, built on the land of the East Jerusalem neighborhood of Beit Safafa.
“This decision contradicts the international legal foundation for a settlement in the Middle East,” the Ministry said in the statement.
“The construction of new housing in this area will separate East Jerusalem from Bethlehem, thereby interrupting the territorial contiguity of the Palestinian state, as envisaged by UN resolutions and is indispensable for viability,” it warned.
It reaffirmed Russia’s position that  Israeli colonial settlements were illegal and a violation of international law.