Nicaragua has taken a significant step by requesting that the UN’s highest court pause the sale of German weapons to Israel, marking the start of a groundbreaking case. The case alleges that Germany violated the UN genocide convention by providing military hardware to Israel and discontinuing funding for the UN’s aid agency.
Germany has refuted these claims and will present a defense to the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on Tuesday. In 2023, approximately 30% of Israel’s military equipment purchases were from Germany, amounting to €300m ($326m; $257m).
The allegations are an extension of a separate case brought by South Africa in January. The judges in the Hague ordered Israel to take “every possible measure” to avoid genocidal acts and also instructed Hamas to release all hostages taken from Israel during its 7 October attacks immediately. Israel has denied the accusations of engaging in genocidal acts in its campaign in Gaza, asserting its right to self-defense.
Nicaragua argues that Germany’s arms sales to Israel, which totaled $326.5m last year, make it complicit in Israel’s alleged war crimes. Components for air defense systems and communications equipment accounted for most of the sales, according to the DPA news agency. Germany was also one of 15 Western nations that suspended funding for the UN’s Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees (UNWRA) over allegations that some of the agency’s staff were involved in the 7 October attacks on Israel.
Nicaragua has filed papers with the ICJ seeking an order for Germany to halt weapons sales and resume funding of the aid agency, as one of the few international bodies still operating in Gaza. The absence of such measures, according to Nicaragua, means “Germany is facilitating the commission of genocide and is failing in its obligation to do everything possible to prevent the commission of genocide.”
The trial’s opening saw Alain Pellet, a lawyer for Nicaragua, emphasizing the urgency for Germany to suspend continued sales. Chancellor Olaf Scholz, a vocal supporter of Israel’s right to self-defense, has faced increasing domestic opposition to the continuation of arms sales to the country, with civil servants writing a letter urging the government to cease arm deliveries to Israel. Despite the allegations, Germany has firmly denied them, stating that the accusations are unjustified.
Critics of the case have pointed out Nicaragua’s own human rights record, accusing its government of cracking down on opposition. In March, the UK’s mission to the UN accused President Daniel Ortega’s government of a “relentless” crackdown on human rights and civil liberties.
