Germany on Tuesday defended itself at the International Court of Justice against charges that arms shipments to Israel are inciting genocide in the Gaza Strip, saying most of the equipment it has supplied since October 7 is non-lethal. It was claimed to be one of the most important and one of the largest pieces of equipment. Donors of humanitarian aid to the Palestinians.
At a United Nations tribunal in The Hague, German lawyers said the allegations brought by Nicaragua had “no basis in fact or law” and were based on an assessment of military action by Israel, which is not a party to the case.
“Germany categorically rejects Nicaragua's accusations,” Tania von Ussler-Gleichen, a German Foreign Ministry official and lead lawyer in the case, told the 15-judge court, adding that Nicaragua “is extremely We are rushing this case to court based on flimsy evidence.” ”
Nicaragua on Monday called for emergency measures to order the German government to stop providing military and financial aid to Israel, alleging that it is facilitating the commission of genocide against Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. The court is expected to decide whether to take emergency measures in the coming weeks.
The case, concluded on Tuesday, is the third time in recent months that the U.N. tribunal has become a forum for countries to pressure Israel and support the Palestinians.
Earlier this year, the court heard South Africa's claims that Israel was committing genocide in the Gaza Strip and ordered the Israeli government to take steps to stop such atrocities. The court has not ruled on whether genocide actually occurred, but Israel strongly denies the claim.
The lawsuit, brought by Nicaragua's government, which has been widely accused of repression and human rights abuses, focuses on Germany, Israel's second-largest arms supplier after the United States. German leaders refer to support for Israel as “national survival,'' the raison d'être of the nation, as a means of atoning for the Holocaust.
But the rising death toll and humanitarian crisis in Gaza have led some German officials to question whether that aid is going too far.
German lawyers asked the court to throw out the case. They argue that Germany seeks to balance the interests of both Israel and Palestine, and that Berlin is one of the largest private donors to the United Nations and other agencies providing humanitarian aid to Gaza. I presented the numbers.
“Germany has always been a strong supporter of Palestinian rights,” Ms. von Usler-Gleichen said. “Along with Israel's security, this is the second principle that has guided Germany's response to the Middle East conflict in general and the current escalation in particular.”
Germany has approved arms exports to Israel worth 326.5 million euros (about $353.7 million) in 2023, according to figures released by the Economy Ministry. This is approximately 10 times the amount approved the previous year.
Germany's legal team argued on Tuesday that most of the exports were non-lethal aid, such as protective clothing, communications equipment and defense equipment against chemical hazards.. German lawyer Christian Tams denied Nicaragua's claims that Germany had increased arms supplies to Israel since the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, saying “no shells or ammunition have been authorized” since then. Ta.
“The picture presented by Nicaragua is at best inaccurate and at worst a deliberate misrepresentation of the real situation,” he said.
The numbers provided by Mr. Tams could not be independently verified, but they are broadly consistent with the numbers provided by the German government earlier this year in response to questions from lawmakers, and they show that the German government has increased its military exports to Israel. were what Israel called “weapons of war.”
Critics say there is little distinction between the types of weapons provided to Israel during the war. On Monday, Nicaragua's ambassador to the Netherlands, Carlos José Arguello Gómez, told the court: “Will the shells be delivered directly from Germany to the Israeli tanks shelling the hospital, or will they go to replenish Israeli stockpiles? is not a problem.”
Peter D. Wezemann, 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.
“They don't directly kill, but they are an integral part of the whole system that actually makes war possible: the country's military,” he said.
Lawyers say Germany is an easier target for litigation than the United States, which is by far Israel's main military backer. Germany granted full jurisdiction to the International Court of Justice. However, the United States denies such jurisdiction except where Washington expressly consents.