UNITED NATIONS, Dec 16: The UN General Assembly in an overwhelming vote on Friday decided to establish an office to register Palestinian damage claims stemming from Israel’s construction of a barrier in the West Bank.

The resolution, adopted with a vote of 162-7 with seven abstentions, referred to the opinion by the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in July 2004 that found the barrier illegal. The court said: “'Israel is under an obligation to make reparations for all damage caused by the construction.”

Israel and the United States vehemently opposed the creation of the new office, which will be based in Vienna, Austria.

Israel rejected the advisory opinion and has continued to construct the barrier -- a complex of walls, fences, trenches, barbed wire and electronic devices.

Israel began building the barrier in 2002 to stop Palestinian suicide bombers who were infiltrating from the West Bank. Palestinians say it is an attempt to grab their land and has obstructed their freedom of movement.

The resolution authorises the new office -- comprising a three-member board, an executive director and a small staff -- to record damage from the construction. For now, it rules out any evaluation or assessment of the losses.

“The barrier has divided villages and destroyed homes and crops, displacing thousands of Palestinians and cutting others off from jobs, doctors, schools and places of worship,” said Riyad Mansour, the Palestinian UN observer.

He said establishing the register was just one step toward implementing the court's ruling.

“'We are still insisting, and the international community is insisting, that the wall is illegal and has to be dismantled and that process has to be reversed,” he said.