Germany defends before the ICJ that the shipment of weapons to Israel is subject to “strict” controls

The German authorities defended their arms exports to Israel this Monday, claiming that they are compatible with International Law, during a hearing in The Hague before the International Court of Justice (ICJ) within the framework of the complaint presented by Nicaragua against Berlin for its military aid and for not preventing a “genocide” in the Gaza Strip.

“All German exports of military technology and equipment to Israel, as to any other country, are subject to strict licensing requirements that exceed international requirements,” said Julia Monar, defending Germany before the ICJ.

The lawyer has assured that these requirements “leave no margin of discretion to the German authorities to fail to comply with (their) obligations under International Law”, after disgracing the court that Berlin ruled at the current stage of the judicial case.

“Germany is forced to point out that Nicaragua’s factual statements are not only inappropriate at this stage of the procedure, but also create an inaccurate and distorted image (…) Admitting Nicaragua’s allegations would inevitably force the court to determine the legality of the conduct of a third party who has not given consent or been heard in any way in these proceedings,” he stated.

Monar has stressed that the open case does not represent a “classic bilateral controversy”, recalling that neither Managua nor Berlin are parties to the “true object of this matter: the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.”

The lawyer has called Nicaragua’s accusations unfounded and has once again asked the court to reject the request of the Nicaraguan authorities to stop arms exports from Germany to Israel.

The ICJ already ruled on the matter in April 2024, when it refused to impose provisional measures on Germany, after Nicaragua presented the lawsuit against Berlin in January of that year, arguing that since October 2023 there has been “a recognized risk of genocide against the Palestinian people”, mainly in the Gaza Strip.

Thus, he maintained that Germany “is facilitating the commission of a genocide” and that it has not fulfilled its obligation to “do everything possible” to prevent it, also taking into account its responsibility as a signatory of the 1948 Genocide Convention.

The ICJ months earlier ordered Israel to take “all possible measures” to protect the Palestinian population of Gaza from alleged abuses contemplated in the Genocide Convention and to “urgently” ensure that they receive the necessary aid.

Israel launched its offensive against Gaza in response to attacks by the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), which left nearly 1,200 dead and about 240 kidnapped. Since then, the Gaza Health Ministry, controlled by the Islamist group, has reported the deaths of 73,658 Palestinians, including more than 1,300 despite the ceasefire in force since October 2025.