ICJ hears Nicaragua’s case against Germany over Israel’s war on Gaza
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) began two days of hearings to consider Nicaragua’s request that emergency measures be imposed on Germany over its support for Israel’s war on Gaza.
Here are the main news lines so far:
- Nicaragua’s ambassador to the Netherlands, Carlos Jose Arguello Gomez, told the court Germany violated the 1948 Genocide Convention by continuing to supply Israel with arms after the ICJ ruled it is plausible that Israel violated some rights guaranteed under the convention during its assault on Gaza.
- “There can be no question that Germany … was well aware, and is well aware, of at least the serious risk of genocide being committed” in the Strip, Gomez told the court.
- Berlin is one of Israel’s key allies and the second biggest arms provider to Israel after the US, accounting for 30 percent of Israel’s arms imports, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
- Germany sent 327 million euros ($354m) in military equipment and weapons to Israel in 2023, according to Economy Ministry data.
Germany rejects Nicaragua’s accusations during ICJ hearing
As the ICJ hears from Nicaragua in its case accusing Germany of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention with its military support for Israel, Berlin has slammed the allegation.
“Germany completely rejects the accusations. We never did violate the Genocide Convention nor international humanitarian law either directly nor indirectly,” said a lawyer representing Germany, Tania von Uslar-Gleichen.
“Nicaragua’s presentation was grossly biased, and we will be telling you tomorrow how we fully live up to our responsibilities,” she added. Germany will present its defence to the ICJ on Tuesday.
Nicaragua’s case ‘has a great relevance not just for Gaza’
Raymond Murphy, a human rights lawyer and professor of law at the University of Galway, has told Al Jazeera from the Republic of Ireland that Nicaragua’s case against Germany is “a very important case”.
“The case has great relevance not just for Gaza but also for all the states that manufacture weapons and supply states and other parties with weapons that are ultimately used to commit violations of international law, of humanitarian law, the convention against genocide and a whole host of other international measures that seek to protect civilian and other vulnerable groups,” Murphy said.
‘Not too much’ to ask Germany to refrain from aiding Israel
Much of the arguments we’ve heard today from Nicaragua at their very core resemble very much the arguments that we’ve heard from South Africa. Of course, here Germany is not being involved in but complicit in.
So I think if indeed the court is going to look at both Israel and Germany in the same way, I think it’s not too much to ask Germany to refrain from exacerbating or escalating a plausible genocide because there is no doubt.
We didn’t need Nicaragua to know that Germany is the third largest exporter of arms to Israel – over half a billion dollars a year. Germany is a huge financial and economic partner of Israel.
The Germans, specifically in this government, have really made it clear that their support for Israel is unconditional regardless of how many tens of thousands have died or been injured in Gaza.
