ICJ rejects emergency measures over German arms exports to Israel

Published May 1, 2024
ICJ presiding judge Nawaf Salam (C) attends the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) ruling on Nicaragua’s request for emergency measures to stop Germany sending military supplies to Israel because of its action in the Gaza crisis, in The Hague, on April 30, 2024. — AFP
ICJ presiding judge Nawaf Salam (C) attends the International Court of Justice’s (ICJ) ruling on Nicaragua’s request for emergency measures to stop Germany sending military supplies to Israel because of its action in the Gaza crisis, in The Hague, on April 30, 2024. — AFP

THE HAGUE: Judges at the International Court of Justice on Tuesday ruled against issuing emergency orders to stop German arms exports to Israel, while expressing deep concern about “catastrophic living conditions in Gaza”. But the court also rejected a German request to throw out the case, so it can now move forward.

Nicaragua had asked the ICJ, also known as the World Court, to order Germany to halt military arms exports to Israel and to resume its funding of the UN Palestinian refugee agency UNRWA, saying there was a serious risk of genocide in Gaza.

The court refused to issue any orders, saying that the current circumstances presented by Nicaragua were not such that the court needed to issue emergency measures.

The presiding judge, Nawaf Salam, added: “The court remains deeply concerned about the catastrophic living conditions of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, in particular, in view of the prolonged and widespread deprivation of food and other basic necessities to which they have been subjected.”

Nicaragua accuses Berlin of violating international humanitarian law and the 1948 Genocide Convention by continuing to supply Israel with arms after ICJ judges ruled in January that it was plausible Israel violated some rights guaranteed under the genocide convention during its assault on Gaza.

Published in Dawn, May 1st, 2024

Opinion

Editorial

No time left
Updated 06 Feb, 2025

No time left

Climate change concerns continue to remain a footnote as politics dominates national discourse, surfacing only when disaster strikes.
Karim Aga Khan
06 Feb, 2025

Karim Aga Khan

PRINCE Karim Aga Khan was a man who straddled various worlds and cultures. Beyond his role as spiritual leader of ...
Cotton production
06 Feb, 2025

Cotton production

PAKISTAN’S cotton crop is on the ropes. The crop output has been falling since FY15, when the country harvested a...
Kashmir question
Updated 05 Feb, 2025

Kashmir question

The important thing is to continue dialogue process, on bilateral disputes, Kashmir issue, and move beyond rigid positions.
Letters from jail
05 Feb, 2025

Letters from jail

OVER the past week, former prime minister Imran Khan has directly addressed his concerns to both the chief justice ...
Agriculture tax
05 Feb, 2025

Agriculture tax

WITH Sindh and Balochistan finally approving changes to their agriculture income tax laws to harmonise their AIT...