The Gaza director of the UN agency that deals with Palestinian refugees has been summoned for consultations with his bosses in Jerusalem after angering Palestinians with comments they said favoured Israel during last month's fighting.
Protests erupted in the territory over the comments by UNRWA Gaza chief Matthias Schmale in an interview with Israel's N12 television on May 22, in which he said he did not dispute Israel's assertion that its air strikes were precise.
Eleven days of conflict between Israel and Hamas began on May 10. More than 250 Palestinians were killed in hundreds of Israeli air strikes in Gaza. More than 4,000 rockets, many intercepted, fired by Gaza militants killed 13 people in Israel.
Hamas, the militant group that rules the enclave, described Mr Schmale as "a spokesman for the Israeli military".
Mr Schmale, who is based in Gaza, apologised for his remarks in which he was commenting on the ferocity of the air strikes and said, " … precision was there but there was unacceptable and unbearable loss of life on the civilian side".
Sami Mshasha, UNRWA's spokesman in Jerusalem, said on Wednesday that Mr Schmale and his deputy had been “called in for consultation and discussion at the Jerusalem headquarters over the latest developments in Gaza”.
Another official told Reuters that Deputy Commissioner General Leni Stenseth would temporarily lead the Gaza team.
UNRWA provides education, health and relief services to about 5.7 million registered Palestinian refugees in Gaza, the West Bank, Jordan, Lebanon and Syria.
"In the coming few weeks, UNRWA will review the emergency response mechanism in Gaza to determine lessons and conclusions to improve UNRWA's response and performance during times of crisis and emergency," Mr Mshasha said.
In a statement on May 25, Mr Schmale said in apology: “There is no justification whatsoever for killing civilians.
“Military precision and sophistication are never a justification for war.”
Israel's foreign ministry said its forces acted "in accordance with international law, in defending our citizens from Hamas's indiscriminate rocket fire".
The Brutalist
Director: Brady Corbet
Stars: Adrien Brody, Felicity Jones, Guy Pearce, Joe Alwyn
Rating: 3.5/5
Company%20profile
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Royal Birkdale Golf Course
Location: Southport, Merseyside, England
Established: 1889
Type: Private
Total holes: 18
More coverage from the Future Forum
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
Did you know?
Brunch has been around, is some form or another, for more than a century. The word was first mentioned in print in an 1895 edition of Hunter’s Weekly, after making the rounds among university students in Britain. The article, entitled Brunch: A Plea, argued the case for a later, more sociable weekend meal. “By eliminating the need to get up early on Sunday, brunch would make life brighter for Saturday night carousers. It would promote human happiness in other ways as well,” the piece read. “It is talk-compelling. It puts you in a good temper, it makes you satisfied with yourself and your fellow beings, it sweeps away the worries and cobwebs of the week.” More than 100 years later, author Guy Beringer’s words still ring true, especially in the UAE, where brunches are often used to mark special, sociable occasions.
