Germany faces Monday à Nicaragua's accusations before the highest UN court that Berlin "facilitated the commission of genocide" against the Palestinians with its military and political support à Israelël. Managua filed a lawsuit against Germany at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), asking judges to impose emergency measures to prevent Berlin from supplying weapons and other aid to Israel. “We reject Nicaragua's allegations,” German Foreign Ministry spokesman Sebastian Fischer said ahead of the hearings. Hearing before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in a case filed by Nicaragua against Germany demanding that judges impose emergency measures to prevent Berlin from providing Israel with weapons and other aid, on April 8, 2024 in The Hague © ANP – Robin van Lonkhuijsen “Germany has violated neither the Genocide Convention nor international humanitarian law and we will fully demonstrate this before the International Court of Justice”, he added to journalists. Nicaragua will present its arguments on Monday, with Germany expected to respond the next day. In a 43-page document addressed to the court, Managua claims that Berlin is violating the 1948 United Nations Genocide Convention, established following the Holocaust. “By sending material military and by now eliminating funding for UNRWA” (United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees), “Germany is facilitating the commission of genocide”, it is written. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu (l) during a press conference with German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, March 17, 2024 in Jerusalem © POOL – Leo Correa “Germany's failure is all the more reprehensible with regard to Israel since Germany maintains a self-proclaimed privileged relationship with this country, which would allow it to usefully influence its conduct,” Nicaragua added. 60~/p> Managua has asked the ICJ to decide on “provisional measures”, emergency orders imposed while the court considers the case as a whole. This is “imperative and urgent” given that the lives of “hundreds of thousands of people” are at stake, according to the Nicaraguan file. – “Appropriate response” – The ICJ was created to adjudicate disputes between nations and became a key player in the war between Israel and the Hamas. In another proceeding, South Africa accuses Israel of perpetrating genocide in the Gaza Strip, which the country vehemently denies.< /p> Palestinians on a road near damaged or destroyed buildings in Khan Younes, southern Gaza Strip, April 7, 2024 © AFP – – In this case, the court called on Israel to do everything in its power to prevent any act of genocide and recently toughened its position, ordering additional measures requiring Israel to increase access to humanitarian aid. ICJ decisions are binding but the court does not have an enforcement mechanism. For example, it ordered Russia to end its invasion of Ukraine, in vain. Nicaragua requested five provisional measures, stipulating in particular that the Germany “immediately suspends its aid to Israel, in particular its military assistance, including its military equipment.” It also asks the court to order Berlin to ” to reverse its decision to suspend funding for UNRWA.” Germany announced in January that it was suspending funding pending an investigation into Israeli accusations according to which several members of Unrwa personnel participated in the attack of October 7. Nicaragua said “it might be understandable” that Germany supports an “appropriate response” from its Israeli ally to the Hamas attack. “But this cannot be an excuse to act in violation of international law,” Managua said. German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock during a press conference on March 26, 2024 in Tel Aviv, Israel © AFP – GIL COHEN-MAGEN German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said Friday that Israel had “no more excuses” to delay the arrival of aid to Gaza. The Gaza Strip is the scene of a devastating war between Israel and Hamas, triggered by an unprecedented attack by the Palestinian Islamist movement on Israeli soil on October 7. According to a latest report on Sunday from the Hamas Ministry of Health, 33,175 people, mostly civilians, were killed there. All rights of reproduction and representation reserved. © (2024) Agence France-Presse
By Teilor Stone
Teilor Stone has been a reporter on the news desk since 2013. Before that she wrote about young adolescence and family dynamics for Styles and was the legal affairs correspondent for the Metro desk. Before joining Thesaxon , Teilor Stone worked as a staff writer at the Village Voice and a freelancer for Newsday, The Wall Street Journal, GQ and Mirabella. To get in touch, contact me through my teilor@nizhtimes.com 1-800-268-7116