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🇩🇰 Denmark /Economy & Trade

Germany asks UN court to dismiss Nicaragua’s case over arms exports to Israel

From Berlingske · () Danish

Translated from Danish and summarized by DistantNews. Read the original for the full story.

At a glance

Newswire Named sources In the courts
  • Germany has asked the International Court of Justice to dismiss Nicaragua’s case alleging that German arms exports and other support for Israel violate the 1948 Genocide Convention.
  • Germany’s representative, Julia Monar, said the dispute lies two steps removed from a traditional bilateral case and that neither country is a party to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict at its core.
  • Nicaragua will present its arguments on Tuesday, while the court is expected to rule on Germany’s objection later this year.

Germany is asking the International Court of Justice to throw out Nicaragua’s case over Berlin’s military support for Israel, arguing that the dispute does not fit the kind of bilateral conflict the court traditionally hears.

The four-day hearings began on Monday. Nicaragua says Germany’s support for Israel, particularly its arms exports, breaches the United Nations Genocide Convention adopted in 1948. Germany’s representative at the court, Julia Monar, said Berlin carefully ensures that all military equipment exports comply with international law.

Monar argued that the case “is two steps removed from a classic bilateral dispute.” She also said, “Neither Nicaragua nor Germany is a party to the conflict that is really at the heart of the case, namely the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

is two steps removed from a classic bilateral dispute

· Julia MonarGermany’s representative at the ICJ used the phrase to argue that Nicaragua’s case should be dismissed.

The convention obliges its 153 signatories, including Germany, Nicaragua and Israel, not to commit genocide and to prevent and punish it if it occurs. Nicaragua previously asked the court to impose emergency measures forcing Germany to stop all support for Israel. The court rejected that request in April, saying that “the circumstances as they now appear” did not justify such orders, but the main case continued.

Nicaragua will have an opportunity on Tuesday to argue why the proceedings should go ahead. A ruling on Germany’s objection is expected later this year. A separate case brought by South Africa accuses Israel of violating the Genocide Convention. Israel has consistently rejected genocide allegations and says its military operations target Hamas after the group’s October 2023 attack on Israel.

Neither Nicaragua nor Germany is a party to the conflict that is really at the heart of the case, namely the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

· Julia MonarShe argued that the underlying conflict falls outside a direct dispute between the two countries.
About this summary

Originally published by Berlingske in Danish. Translated, summarized, and contextualized automatically by DistantNews, with a note on how the source frames the story. Not individually reviewed before publishing. How this works.

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