GERMANY tried today to get the International Court of Justice (ICJ) to throw out a genocide case brought by Nicaragua over Berlin’s arms sales to Israel.

Nicaragua accuses Germany of violating the Genocide Convention and international humanitarian law by “facilitating” acts of genocide in Gaza through its arms sales and other military support for Israel.

Julia Monar, Germany’s top lawyer, said the case had been improperly filed.

“Nicaragua’s conduct indicates that it was not interested in hearing Germany’s view on its allegations, but simply in bringing Germany before this court,” Ms Monar told the judges at the top United Nations court.

She said that Nicaragua had failed to properly notify the German government and had given it less than a month to reply before launching proceedings.

Germany is the second-largest supplier of arms to Israel after the United States.

Ms Monar insisted that Berlin carefully reviews all exports of military equipment in accordance with international law.

In 2024, the court in The Hague rejected an emergency request from Nicaragua to order Germany to halt military and other aid to Israel in Gaza, but the judges declined to throw out the case altogether.

South Africa accused Israel of genocide at the same court in 2023.

In January 2024, ICJ judges ordered Israel to do all it can to prevent death, destruction and any acts of genocide in Gaza. Two months later, the court told Israel to improve the humanitarian situation there, including opening more land crossings to allow essential supplies in.

South Africa says Israel largely ignored those orders.

Also in The Hague, judges at the International Criminal Court have issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant after charging them with crimes against humanity for allegedly using “starvation as a method of warfare.”

The United States has responded by slapping sanctions on many senior court staff.