The United Nations’ top court on Tuesday rejected Nicaragua’s request for an emergency order for Germany to halt military aid to Israel.
The court said that the current circumstances presented by Nicaragua were not such that the court needed to issue emergency measures.
The court also rejected a request by Germany to dismiss the case entirely.
Nicaragua alleges that Germany is breaching the 1948 Genocide Convention by supplying military aid to Israel amid the Gaza war.
“Germany is failing to honor its own obligation to prevent genocide or to ensure respect of international humanitarian law,” Carlos Jose Arguello Gomez, Nicaragua’s ambassador to the Netherlands, said at the hearings.
Germany, a longtime supporter of Israel, argued that it has exported few weapons to the country since Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel.
Israel, which is not a party of the case, denies it is committing genocide in Gaza and insists that it is acting in self-defense. Hamas militants killed some 1,200 people and seized over 240 hostages during its attack.
More than 34,000 Palestinians have been killed in Gaza since Israel launched its military campaign, according to the Hamas-run Gaza Health Ministry.
South Africa asked the International Court of Justice to take emergency measures against Israel last December, alleging the country is responsible for apartheid against Palestinians.
Israeli legal adviser Tal Becker told judges in that case that Israel is fighting a “war it did not start and did not want.”
The International Court of Justice ruled in favor of South Africa, ordering measures for Israel to prevent genocide in Gaza.
A separate investigation into Israel by the International Criminal Court could issue arrest warrants for Israeli leaders.
The International Criminal Court inquiry was launched in 2021. It covers possible war crimes committed by Israel and Palestinian militants going back to 2014. Israeli officials, including Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, expressed concern in recent days that the court could soon press charges.
This report incudes information from Reuters.
