Germany faces genocide case over Israel weapon sales
Nicaragua has asked the UN’s highest court to halt German weapons sales to Israel at the start of a landmark case.
Germany faces accusations of breaching the UN genocide convention by sending military hardware to Israel and stopping funding of the UN’s aid agency.
Berlin has rejected the claims and will present a defence to the ICJ on Tuesday.
Around 30% of Israel’s military equipment purchases came from Germany in 2023 – totalling around €300m.
The allegations facing Germany build on a separate case taken by South Africa in January, where judges in the Hague ordered Israel to take “every possible measure” to avoid genocidal acts. The court also ordered Hamas to release all hostages taken during the October 7 attacks to be released immediately.
Israel rejects allegations of genocide in Gaza, insisting it has the right to defend itself.
Protest at the German Embassy in Washington as Berlin faces a genocide case at the ICJ over its weapons sales to Israel. "They are not just complicit, they are responsible," this man said. pic.twitter.com/e91ULwN5Sz
— Benjamin Alvarez (@BenjAlvarez1) April 8, 2024
More than 33,000 have been killed in Israel’s campaign in Gaza. The embattled strip is currently on the brink of famine.
Nicaragua says Germany’s arms sales to Israel make it complicit in Israel’s alleged war crimes.
Components for air defence systems and communications equipment accounted for most of the sales, according to the DPA news agency.
Germany was also one of 15 Western nations which suspended funding for the UN’s Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA) over allegations that some of the agency’s staff were involved in the 7 October attacks on Israel.
According to papers filed with the ICJ, Nicaragua wants the UN’s top court to order Berlin to halt weapons sales and resume funding of the aid agency, one of the few international bodies still operating in Gaza.
