Contents
Berlin is facing the ICJ over arms deliveries to Israel. But Nicaragua is only pursuing its own interests with this lawsuit.
It’s all about this: The first hearing on a lawsuit brought by Nicaragua against Germany has begun in The Hague before the International Court of Justice (ICJ). The authoritarian country accuses Berlin of complicity in the genocide in the Gaza Strip. By supplying arms to Israel, Germany is enabling genocide and violating international law. Nicaragua sees itself as an advocate for the Palestinians. It wants to urgently ensure that Germany has to stop arms deliveries to Israel.
ICJ decision in around two weeks
Open box Close box
The hearing before the ICJ in The Hague began on Monday. 16 judges are involved in the hearing. Your decision is expected in around two weeks.
Berlin’s reaction: Germany firmly rejects allegations made by Nicaragua of complicity in genocide in the Gaza war. “Germany is not violating the Genocide Convention or international humanitarian law, neither directly nor indirectly,” said the Berlin representative at the start of the hearing in The Hague. On the size of the arms deliveries: The German government has approved arms deliveries to Israel for 326 million euros in 2023. That was ten times as much as the year before.
International attention is good for President Ortega.
This is what Nicaragua wants: In addition to immediately stopping Germany’s arms sales to Israel, Nicaragua is demanding from the judges in The Hague that Berlin resume support for the Palestinian relief organization UNRWA. However: “Nicaragua primarily wants to attract international attention with the lawsuit,” says journalist and Nicaragua expert Toni Keppeler. The Central American country is quite isolated internationally. “The international attention is good for the president,” said Keppeler.
Largely isolated, poor country
Open box Close box
Nicaragua, along with Honduras, is the poorest country in Latin America. In Nicaragua, around seven million people live in an area three times the size of Switzerland. Many people make their living from agriculture, and practically the only export product is coffee. The nominal per capita income is just over $2,100 per year.
That’s why Germany: “The lawsuit against Germany doesn’t hurt Nicaragua,” says Keppeler. If Nicaragua were to sue the USA – Washington supplies many more weapons to Israel than Berlin – the country could experience economic problems. As a countermeasure, the USA could block important remittances from exiled Nicaraguans. However, Nicaragua probably cannot achieve much in concrete terms with the lawsuit against Germany, according to Keppeler.
Repressive Regime: Nicaragua has been ruled by the Ortega clan since 2007 – and the lawsuit fits into President Daniel Ortega’s self-image as a left-wing revolutionary, said Keppeler. With the initiative for what he sees as oppressed Palestinians, Ortega wants to prove that – despite his authoritarian rule – he still belongs to the left-wing governments in the world. “It is probably an attempt by Nicaragua to find supporters in the world – alongside the well-known allies Cuba and Venezuela,” said the journalist.