On Tuesday, Germany commenced its defense at the International Court of Justice against accusations of contributing to genocide in Gaza through arms supply to Israel.
Nicaragua initiated the case against Germany at The Hague court. During the hearings that commenced on Monday, Nicaragua contended that Germany's provision of military and financial assistance to Israel facilitates genocide against Palestinians in Gaza. It requested urgent measures to compel the German government to cease its support for Israel during wartime.
Berlin refuted allegations of violating the Genocide Convention or international humanitarian law. It dispatched a delegation of international lawyers, including representatives from Britain and Italy, to the U.N. court.
Germany ranks as Israel's second-largest arms provider after the United States and considers support for the country a "Staatsräson," or national raison d'être, as a means of reckoning with the Holocaust. However, the escalating death toll in Gaza and the humanitarian crisis there have prompted some German officials to question whether this support has crossed ethical boundaries.
In 2023, Germany authorized arms exports to Israel worth 326.5 million euros, or approximately $353.7 million, as per data released by the economics ministry. This marked a tenfold increase from the previous year's approved sum.
Speaking in an interview aired on Tuesday by Deutschlandfunk, a public broadcaster, Katrin Göring-Eckardt, a vice president of Germany’s Parliament, emphasized, "Israel’s existence is a state matter for us." She underscored Germany’s "special responsibility toward Israel" post-Holocaust, particularly following the October 7 attacks by Hamas that led to Israel's engagement in Gaza conflict.
Ms. Göring-Eckardt further stated that the German government engages in discussions regarding "each specific arms shipment" and holds talks with Israel concerning adherence to international humanitarian law during this conflict.
During Monday's proceedings, Carlos Jose Arguello Gomez, Nicaragua’s ambassador to the Netherlands, asserted to the court that "whether an artillery shell is directly supplied from Germany to an Israeli tank bombarding a hospital or is used to replenish Israel’s arsenals," the ramifications remain significant. Nicaragua's case in The Hague raises fresh inquiries regarding the accountability of nations that have provided weaponry to Israel during the Gaza conflict.
Legal experts suggest that Germany presents a more accessible target for legal action compared to the United States. While Germany has conferred complete jurisdiction to the International Court of Justice, the United States refuses such jurisdiction, except in instances where Washington explicitly consents.