Germany asks ICJ to dismiss Nicaragua-backed case over arms exports to Israel

Germany has asked the International Court of Justice to throw out a case brought by Nicaragua over Berlin’s arms exports to Israel, arguing that the court should not hear the dispute.

Nicaragua accuses Germany of violating the 1948 Genocide Convention by supplying weapons to Israel. Germany suspended arms exports to Israel for several months in 2025, but later resumed them.

At a hearing on Monday, Germany said Nicaragua had not taken the proper steps before approaching the court. Berlin also argued that much of Nicaragua’s claim lies outside the jurisdiction granted to the ICJ under the genocide treaty. “Germany respectfully requests the court to reject Nicaragua’s claims,” Julia Monar, a legal adviser to Germany’s foreign ministry, told judges.

Nicaragua broke off diplomatic relations with Israel in 2024 over the war in Gaza. It will have an opportunity on Tuesday to argue why the case should proceed. The court is expected to rule on Germany’s objection to its jurisdiction later this year, although any final decision on the substance could take years.

The case follows South Africa’s separate claim accusing Israel of genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. In an interim ruling in 2024, the ICJ said it was plausible that Israel had violated some rights protected under the Genocide Convention during its assault on Gaza. Israel rejects the genocide allegations as politically motivated and says its military campaign targets Hamas, whose attack on Israel triggered the war in October 2023.

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Germany respectfully requests the court to reject Nicaragua’s claims.