The Palestinians have called on the U.N. General Assembly to press Israel to tear down the wall it is building in the West Bank and threatened to seek sanctions if the Jewish state fails to comply.
But Israel ridiculed Palestinian leaders over the fact that gunmen had just abducted the Gaza Strip police chief.
"They should not lecture anyone about the rule of law or accuse others of being outlaws. We have indeed reached the point where the inmates are running the asylum," Israeli Ambassador Dan Gillerman told assembly delegates.
A resolution drafted by Palestinian U.N. observer Nasser al-Kidwa to demand Israeli compliance with the court ruling was expected to pass easily in the assembly. But a vote was not expected before Monday in order to give Arab and European envoys more time to try to reach a deal on changes demanded by the 25-nation European Union for giving its support.
Before negotiations could begin, however, EU nations had to agree among themselves on a common position and had still not arrived at that point by Friday afternoon, diplomats said.
The General Assembly met in emergency session after the World Court last week issued an advisory opinion concluding that the 370-mile barrier violates international law by cutting into West Bank land occupied and dotted with settlements by Israel since the 1967 Middle East War.
The court, formally known as the International Court of Justice and based in The Hague, is the top U.N. legal body.
Israel argues it needs the combination of razor-tipped fencing and concrete, which is still under construction, to keep out suicide bombers. Palestinians see it as a land grab that would thwart their dream of a Palestinian state.