Germany Withdraws Support for Israel in South Africa’s ICJ Genocide Case

Germany has decided not to intervene on Israel’s behalf in the genocide case brought by South Africa at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), after becoming a party to separate proceedings filed against it by Nicaragua.

A spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry, Josef Hinterseher, told reporters on Wednesday that Berlin had reconsidered its earlier plan to intervene in support of Israel.

“We are now ourselves a party to contentious proceedings before the ICJ and have consequently decided not to make use of this option,” Hinterseher said.

Germany had previously indicated it would file an intervention supporting Israel after South Africa launched its case at the UN’s highest court, accusing Israel of violating the Genocide Convention through its military operations in Gaza since October 2023.

At the time, the German government dismissed South Africa’s allegations as “baseless” and described the case as a political misuse of the 1948 Genocide Convention, the treaty established after the Holocaust to prevent and punish genocide.

However, the legal landscape shifted in March 2024, when Nicaragua filed a separate case against Germany at the ICJ. Nicaragua accuses Berlin of aiding and abetting genocide by supplying weapons to Israel during the Gaza conflict.

German officials have firmly rejected the accusations.

“We categorically reject Nicaragua’s allegations against Germany,” Hinterseher said, declining to elaborate further on Germany’s legal strategy while the case remains before the court.

Meanwhile, the United States submitted a formal intervention last week defending Israel’s position in the case.

Washington argued that the genocide allegations form part of a broader campaign aimed at delegitimizing Israel and encouraging hostility against the Jewish state.

More than 18 countries have now filed interventions in the proceedings, offering legal interpretations of the Genocide Convention. Several states, including Iceland and the Netherlands, have submitted statements critical of Israel’s conduct during the Gaza war.

According to reports, Israeli military operations in Gaza have resulted in the deaths of more than 72,000 Palestinians, most of them women and children, while over 171,000 people have been injured.

Israel has strongly denied accusations of genocide.

Last week, Israel submitted its official response to South Africa’s claims. The Israeli Foreign Ministry said the filing, which remains confidential, argues that the ICJ lacks jurisdiction and should dismiss the case.