Germany backs away from defending Israel in genocide case at international court

Berlin shifts position as separate legal proceedings against Germany take priority

BERLIN: Germany has stepped away from supporting Israel in its defense against genocide allegations at the International Court of Justice.

“We are now ourselves a party to contentious proceedings before the ICJ,” a Foreign Ministry spokesman said.

“And have consequently decided not to make use of this option,” Josef Hinterseher told private broadcaster n-tv.

The German government intends instead to focus on the legal proceedings initiated by Nicaragua.

Nicaragua filed a lawsuit against Germany before the ICJ in the spring of 2024.

South Africa brought a genocide case against Israel in December 2023 at the highest court of the United Nations.

In January 2024, Berlin rejected South Africa’s claims as “baseless.”

They amounted to “political instrumentalization” of the 1948 Genocide Convention, Germany said at the time.

That treaty outlined the crime under international law in the aftermath of the Holocaust.

Germany announced then it would file an intervention on Israel’s behalf.

In March 2024, Nicaragua filed a complaint with the court.

It alleged that Germany was aiding and abetting genocide against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip by supplying weapons to Israel.

“We firmly reject the allegations that Nicaragua has made against Germany before the ICJ,” the Foreign Ministry spokesperson said.

When asked whether the German government no longer held the position that the genocide allegation against Israel was “entirely without merit,” the spokesperson offered a measured response.

“Of course, we would like to wait for the outcome,” he said, noting the allegation was being addressed before the International Court of Justice.

Unlike Germany, the United States is defending Israel before the ICJ against the genocide allegations.

More than a dozen other countries have filed interventions, including Spain, the Netherlands, and Ireland.

Many hold a different view than the United States.

In its complaint, South Africa accuses Israel of actions aimed at the extermination of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip following the Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel.

Israel launched a relentless offensive on the Gaza Strip on Oct. 8, 2023.

More than 72,000 people have been killed, mostly women and children. Over 171,000 others have been injured.