Nicaragua has accused Germany of trying to shield its support for Israel from judicial scrutiny, telling the International Court of Justice (ICJ) that Berlin continued to authorise substantial military exports despite knowing of the serious risk of genocide and other violations against Palestinians.

Appearing before the court in The Hague on Tuesday, Nicaragua urged judges to reject Germany’s preliminary objections and allow its case against Berlin to proceed to the merits.

The proceedings concern Germany’s alleged breaches of the Genocide Convention and international humanitarian law in relation to its alleged support for Israel’s conduct in occupied Palestine.

Nicaragua filed the case in March 2024, accusing Germany of facilitating genocide by supplying Israel with weapons and suspending funding to the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, Unrwa.

Tuesday’s hearing focused on Berlin’s arguments that the court lacks jurisdiction or that Nicaragua’s claims are inadmissible.