(PatriotWise.com) — Nicaragua on Monday petitioned the United Nations International Court of Justice to order Germany to halt military aid to Israel, claiming that Berlin was enabling acts of genocide and violations of international humanitarian law, the Associated Press reported.
Germany is the second-largest supplier of military aid to Israel after the United States. Nicaragua’s claims are the latest attempt by pro-Palestinian countries to use the international courts to stop Israel’s 6-month war against Hamas. In January, South Africa, another ally of the Palestinians, accused Israel of genocide.
Carlos José Argüelo Gónzalez, Nicaragua’s ambassador to the Netherlands, told the International Court of Justice that Germany failed to honor its obligation to ensure international humanitarian law was respected or to prevent genocide.
Tania von Uslar-Gleichen, the lead attorney representing Germany, described Nicaragua’s case before the court as “grossly biased” and denied that Germany had breached international law.
No country has brought a similar case against the United States, which remains the number one supplier of weapons and military aid to Israel, since Washington does not recognize the authority of the International Court of Justice to compel nations to appear before it. The United States also never signed on to the Genocide Convention, that allows signatory countries to bring disputes to the UN court.
However, Nicaragua tried to include the United States in its case, arguing that Washington and Berlin have collaborated on some military programs. Ambassador Argüello Gómez asked the court to include the United States in its provisional measures.
He also asked the 16-judge panel to order Germany to suspend all aid to Israel immediately, especially its military aid, claiming that the use of military aid could violate international law and the Genocide Convention.
Nicaragua has long ties with Palestinian groups dating back to the 1979 Sandinista revolution, which the Palestinians supported.
Israel denies that its operations in Gaza amount to “genocide,” arguing that its war against Hamas was in self-defense following the October 7 terrorist attacks in Israel.
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