Gary Fitleberg, January 11, 2005

The United Nations began the process of collecting damage claims from Israel’s security barrier and separation fence against terrorism.

U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan announced Tuesday that he had sent a letter to the General Assembly president outlining a framework to record damages from the fence, as demanded in a General Assembly resolution last summer blasting the fence and ordering Israel to dismantle it.

"The purpose of the register is not to adjudicate claims of damage but to collect them for possible future adjudication and compensation," the United Nations said in a background note, The Associated Press reported, adding that a compensation mechanism would be found to decide the legitimacy of claims and put a value on them.

The United Nations has not collected any claim for the murder and mayhem caused by homicide bombers and terrorists which caused the construction of the fence in the first place.

Gary Fitleberg is a Political Analyst specializing in International Relations with emphasis on Middle East affairs.

Copyright © 2005 Gary Fitleberg