Germany on Tuesday defended itself at the International Court of Justice against accusations that its arms shipments to Israel are perpetuating genocide in Gaza, arguing that most of the equipment water supply since October 7 are non-lethal and it is also one of the largest devices. donors of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians.
At the United Nations court in The Hague, German lawyers said the charges were due Nicaragua “has no basis in fact or law” and based on an assessment of Israel’s military conduct, the country is not a party to the incident.
“Germany firmly rejects Nicaragua’s accusations,” Tania von Uslar-Gleichen, a German Foreign Ministry official and lead counsel in the case, told the 15-judge bench, adding that Nicaragua “brought this case to court based on the flimsiest of evidence.” .”
On Monday, Nicaragua had it Debate that Germany is facilitating the commission of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza by providing Israel with military and financial aid, and requested urgent measures ordering the German government to cease support. The court is expected to decide within weeks whether to issue emergency measures.
The proceedings that ended Tuesday were the third time in recent months that the United Nations court has been a forum for countries to pressure Israel and support the Palestinians.
Earlier this year, the court listen to South Africa’s argument that Israel is committing genocide in Gaza and ordered the Israeli government to take steps to prevent such atrocities. The court has not yet ruled on whether genocide actually took place, an allegation Israel has strongly denied.
The latest case by Nicaraguan government It has itself been widely accused of repression and human rights abuses, drawing the attention of Germany, Israel’s second-largest arms owner. supplier after the United States. German leaders call support for Israel “Staatsräson,” a reason for the nation’s existence, as a way of atonement for the Holocaust.
But the rising death toll and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza have prompted questions from some German officials. whether that support went too far.
German lawyers urged the court to dismiss the case. They argue that Germany has tried to balance the interests of both Israel and Palestine, and present figures showing that Berlin is one of the largest individual donors to the United Nations and other agencies that provide aid. humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Ms. von Uslar-Gleichen said: “Germany has always been a strong supporter of the rights of the Palestinian people. “This, along with Israel’s security, is the second principle that has guided Germany’s response to the conflict in the Middle East in general and the current escalation in particular.”
According to data, in 2023, Germany approved arms exports to Israel worth 326.5 million euros, equivalent to about 353.7 million USD. published of the Ministry of Economy. This number is about 10 times the amount approved last year.
Germany’s legal team argued Tuesday that most of the country’s exports are non-lethal support, such as protective gear, communications equipment and defense equipment against chemical hazards.. Christian Tams, a lawyer for Germany, rejected Nicaragua’s claim that Germany had increased arms supplies to Israel since the October 7 Hamas attack, saying that since then “there has been no artillery shelling, no What ammunition is licensed?
“The picture that Nicaragua presents is at best inaccurate, and at worst, it is a deliberate misrepresentation of the actual situation,” he said.
While it is not possible to independently verify the figures given by Mr. Tams, they are close to those provided by the German government earlier this year, in response to a lawmaker’s question, when it said that only about 6% of them. Their military exports to Israel are for what they call “weapons of war.”
Critics say there is little difference between the types of weapons supplied to Israel while it is at war. On Monday, Carlos Jose Arguello Gomez, Nicaragua’s ambassador to the Netherlands, told the court that “whether artillery shells were delivered directly from Germany to Israeli tanks shelling hospitals” or added to Israel’s stockpile become a problem.
Pieter D. Wezeman, a senior researcher at the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, which tracks global arms exports, said Germany’s position is consistent with typical arms exports to Israel.
“Even though they don’t directly kill people, they are an essential part of the overall system, the armed forces of a country, that can actually engage in war,” he said.
Lawyers say Germany is an easier target for litigation than the United States, by far Israel’s main military supporter. Germany has granted full jurisdiction to the International Court of Justice. But the United States denies its jurisdiction, unless Washington gives explicit consent.
