Israel criticizes UNRWA, urging it to avoid «one-sided» political advocacy
JERUSALEM. August 28. KAZINFORM Israel criticized the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) on Tuesday, following the agency's condemnation of the killing of one of its staffers by Israeli forces in the West Bank.
The 34-year-old staffer, Rubin Zayed, was shot on Monday along with two other Palestinians during clashes with Israeli soldiers who stormed Qalandya refugee camp in northern Ramallah.
UNRWA issued a statement clarifying that Zayed "was on his way to work and was not engaged in any violent activity," noting that he was shot in the chest.
Another UNRWA staff member, a sanitation laborer, was shot in the leg during the same operation but his condition is stable now, the UNRWA added in its statement, according to Xinhua.
In response, the Israeli Foreign Ministry issued a statement on Tuesday, calling on UNRWA to "refrain from one-sided political advocacy."
"We were disappointed at UNRWA's press statement," the Israeli Foreign Ministry said, blaming the UN agency for not making enough efforts to investigate certain suspicions directed to itself.
Recently, UNRWA allegedly allowed a Palestinian organization to use its facilities for an "anti-Semitic" summer camp, the Israeli statement said. The UNRWA, however, has denied such "false accusations."
On Monday, a few hours after the incident, Yasser Abed Rabbo, an official in Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), announced in a press statement that the Palestinians decided to call off the next round of peace talks scheduled to be held yesterday in the West Bank town of Jericho.