Germany on Monday urged the United Nations’ top court to throw out a case against it by Nicaragua, which has accused Berlin of “facilitating genocide” in Gaza with its support of Israel.
Julia Monar, representing Germany at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), said judges lacked the jurisdiction to rule on the case and dismissed Nicaragua’s accusations as “inaccurate and distorted”.
Nicaragua has dragged Germany before the ICJ in The Hague, arguing that its backing of Israel, notably in terms of arms exports, contravenes the 1948 UN Genocide Convention.
Opening four days of hearings, Monar told ICJ judges that “the conditions on which this court’s jurisdiction is based are not met in this case”.
“For the first time in the history of this court, it is being asked to adjudicate a case that is twice removed from a classic bilateral dispute,” Monar told the court, which rules on legal arguments between countries.
“Neither Nicaragua nor Germany is a party to the conflict that forms the real subject matter of this case, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” Monar noted.