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The German authorized staff advised the courtroom that 98 % of weapons exports to Israel since October 7 had been easy gear akin to jackets, helmets and binoculars.
Germany has denied allegations in a case filed by Nicaragua within the UN's prime courtroom that it was aiding genocide in Gaza by promoting weapons to Israel – a case that displays a rising authorized crackdown in assist of the Palestinians.
German International Ministry authorized adviser Tania von Ussler-Gleichen advised the Worldwide Courtroom of Justice (ICJ) on Tuesday that Nicaragua's case was rushed based mostly on weak proof and ought to be dismissed resulting from lack of jurisdiction.
He mentioned arms exports had been checked for compliance with worldwide legislation.
“Germany is doing its finest to satisfy its tasks in direction of each the Israeli and Palestinian individuals,” he mentioned, including that Germany is the biggest particular person donor of humanitarian assist to the Palestinians.
Von Usler-Gleichen mentioned that Israel's safety was a precedence for Germany given the Nazi's historical past of extermination of Jews.
Germany is considered one of Israel's largest navy suppliers, sending 326.5 million euros ($353.7m) of kit and weapons in 2023, in line with Economic system Ministry information.
Berlin has been considered one of Israel's staunchest supporters for the reason that October 7 assaults led by Hamas, the Palestinian group that guidelines Gaza, and the following Israeli assault on Gaza.
Germany and different Western international locations have confronted avenue protests, numerous authorized circumstances and accusations of hypocrisy from marketing campaign teams who say Israel has killed too many Palestinian civilians in its six-month offensive.
A minimum of 1,139 individuals had been killed within the Hamas-led assault on Israel on October 7, in line with an Al Jazeera tally based mostly on Israeli information.
Israeli assaults on Gaza since then have killed at the least 33,360 individuals and injured 75,993 others, in line with Palestinian officers.
Christian Tamms, a German lawyer, advised the courtroom that 98 % of weapons exports to Israel since October 7 had been easy gear akin to jackets, helmets and binoculars.
And of the 4 circumstances the place export of warfare weapons was permitted, he mentioned, three of the weapons in query had been unsuitable to be used in warfare and had been supposed for coaching.
Nicaragua demanded to cease arms gross sales
Legal professionals for Nicaragua have requested the ICJ to order Germany to cease arms gross sales to Israel and to renew funding of the United Nations Aid and Works Company for Palestine Refugees (UNRWA).
He argued that Berlin had violated the 1948 Genocide Conference and worldwide legislation by supplying Israel regardless that it knew there was a danger of genocide.
After Tuesday's listening to, Nicaraguan Ambassador Carlos Arguello advised reporters that at this early stage the case didn’t rely on the quantity of Germany's navy assist however solely on its existence.
The ICJ's resolution on Nicaragua's requested emergency measures is anticipated inside a number of weeks. A closing resolution on the deserves of the case is anticipated to take years and the courtroom has no powers to implement it.
In January, in response to an accusation by South Africa, the ICJ dominated that Israel's declare to have violated sure rights assured beneath the Genocide Conference was meritorious and known as for a halt to any attainable acts of genocide.