The International Court of Justice (ICJ) has ruled against implementing urgent measures regarding German arms sales to Israel following an appeal from Nicaragua.
Nicaragua had contended that these arms sales were exacerbating the risk of genocide in Gaza amid ongoing hostilities.
The ICJ dismissed this request with a majority vote of 15-1, citing insufficient grounds under Article 41 of the statute to warrant such provisional measures, as stated by presiding Judge Nawaf Salam on Tuesday.
Despite Nicaragua’s plea, the ICJ also declined to compel Germany to restart its support for the UN agency aiding Palestinian refugees, UNRWA.
Germany, along with 14 other Western nations, halted funding for UNRWA amidst allegations suggesting the involvement of some agency staff in the attacks on Israel that occurred on October 7.
The country is the second major arms supplier to Israel after the United States.
Judge Salam expressed the ICJ’s grave concerns over the dire humanitarian conditions in Gaza, emphasizing the critical need for all nations to ensure that arms transfers do not contravene international law.
During the ICJ proceedings, which took place over two days in April, Nicaragua accused Germany of facilitating genocide by being a key military supporter of Israel.
Germany refuted these allegations, arguing that the claims were hastily made and lacked substantial evidence.
The German Foreign Office responded to the ICJ’s decision by reinforcing its commitment to peace in the Middle East and highlighting its role as a major humanitarian donor to the Palestinians.
“The terror of October 7 has set off this new spiral of suffering, against which Israel must defend itself. Over 100 hostages are still in the hands of Hamas, which is abusing the people of Gaza as shields,” stated the German Foreign Office.
Germany contended during the hearings that it has scarcely exported any weaponry to Israel since the commencement of the offensive on Gaza.
The ICJ’s interim decision noted that Germany had issued only a minimal number of export licenses for war weapons to Israel since the onset of the Gaza offensive, including some for training and testing purposes.
Despite its longstanding support for Israel, Germany has voiced increasing concern over the humanitarian impact of the conflict, particularly against a potential ground assault on Rafah.
