By Stephanie van den Berg
THE HAGUE (Reuters) -Nicaragua asked the International Court of Justice on Monday to order Berlin to halt military arms exports to Israel and reverse its decision to stop funding U.N. Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, saying there is a serious risk of genocide in Gaza.
Nicaragua’s agent ambassador Carlos Jose Arguello Gomez told the court Germany had violated the 1948 Genocide Convention by continuing to supply Israel with arms after ICJ judges ruled it was plausible that Israel violated some rights guaranteed under the genocide convention during its assault on Gaza.
“There can be no question that Germany (…)was well aware, and is well aware, of at least the serious risk of genocide being committed,” in the Gaza strip, Arguello Gomez said.
Israel has denied allegations of genocide and said it has the right to defend itself. German officials have said the ICJ case is not justified.
Arguello Gomez recalled that under the genocide treaty signatory states like Germany also have the duty to prevent genocide.
Berlin will present its side in court on Tuesday.
Germany has been one of Israel’s staunchest allies since the Oct. 7 attacks by Hamas militants which killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies.
It is also one of the major arms exporters to Israel, sending 326.5 million euros ($353.70 million) in military equipment and weapons in 2023, according to Economy Ministry data.
Since October 7, more than 33,000 Palestinians have been killed in Israel’s military offensive in Gaza, according to the health ministry in the Hamas-run enclave.
Nicaragua’s case at the ICJ, also known as the World Court, builds on a genocide case South Africa brought against Israel.
In January the ICJ ruled South Africa’s claims that Israel violated some rights guaranteed under the genocide convention during its assault on Gaza were plausible and ordered emergency measures, including a call for Israel to halt any potential acts of genocide.
Major donors to UNRWA, including the United States and Germany, suspended funding after allegations that around 12 of its tens of thousands of Palestinian employees were suspected of involvement in the Oct. 7 attacks.
Berlin has since resumed some funding to UNRWA’s regional work in Jordan, Lebanon, Syria and the West Bank, a foreign ministry official told Reuters.
However the government will only decide on support for the U.N. agency in Gaza after a review of the ongoing investigation into the allegations, the official added.
($1 = 0.9231 euros)
(Reporting by Stephanie van den Berg aditional reporting by Riham Alkousaa in Berlin; editing by Christina Fincher and Philippa Fletcher)
