Nicaragua Accuses Germany of Facilitating Genocide in Gaza at UN Court
Nicaragua told the ICJ that Germany's weapons sales to Israel facilitate genocide in Gaza. Germany denies the claim and seeks dismissal.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague heard opening arguments on Tuesday in a case brought by Nicaragua against Germany. Nicaragua alleges that Germany, by supplying arms and other military support to Israel, has breached the Genocide Convention by facilitating acts of genocide in Gaza. Berlin has rejected the accusation and called for the case to be thrown out.
Nicaragua's top lawyer, Carlos José Argüello Gómez, told the court that Germany's political, commercial, and military ties with Israel made it impossible for Berlin to be unaware of the serious risk that acts amounting to genocide were being committed by Israel. The case indirectly targets Israel's military campaign in Gaza, which began after the deadly October 7, 2023, attacks by Hamas. Israel is not a party to these proceedings and has strongly denied that its actions constitute genocide.
Germany has been a long-standing supporter of Israel and is its second-largest arms supplier after the United States. Nicaragua's government has historical links with Palestinian organizations, dating back to their support for the 1979 Sandinista revolution.
On Monday, Germany argued that Nicaragua's case was improperly filed and should be dismissed. Germany's top lawyer, Julia Monar, said Nicaragua was not genuinely interested in resolving the dispute but simply wanted to bring Germany before the court. Nicaragua's lawyers countered that they had sent documents to the German foreign ministry and issued press releases describing the dispute.
The preliminary hearings focus on whether the ICJ has jurisdiction. A ruling on this is expected later this year. If the case proceeds, a full hearing could take years.