UNITED NATIONS, January 31. /TASS/. Suspicions against the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) should not turn into a pretext for the collective punishment of millions of Palestinians in need, Russia’s Permanent Representative to the UN Vasily Nebenzya said.

"We share the Secretariat’s standpoint on the importance of conducting a thorough and transparent investigation into these allegations. It is crucial that not only should the information from Israel be taken into account, but also the information from the Palestinians. However, this situation should not become an excuse for the collective punishment of millions of Palestinians in need as well as thousands of the agency’s employees who have been diligently performing their duties for 75 years and are still carrying them on now," he said at a UN Security Council meeting.