Israel’s security ‘at core’ of Berlin foreign policy, Germany tells UN court

THE HAGUE – Israel’s security is at the “core” of German foreign policy, the UN’s high­est court heard on Tuesday, where Berlin is defending itself against a claim that it is furnishing Israel with weapons being used in Gaza.

“Our history is the reason why Is­rael’s security has been at the core of Germany foreign policy,” Germany’s representative told the International Court of Justice in The Hague.

“Where Germany has provided support to Israel, including in a form of export of arms and other military equipment, the quality and purpos­es of these supplies have been gross­ly distorted by Nicaragua,” Tania von Uslar-Gleichen said. Nicaragua has brought Germany before the Inter­national Court of Justice (ICJ) to de­mand that judges impose emergency measures to stop Berlin from provid­ing Israel with weapons and other as­sistance. Lawyers for Nicaragua ar­gued that Germany is in breach of the 1948 United Nations Genocide Convention, set up in the wake of the Holocaust, by furnishing Israel with weapons. On Monday, Nicaragua’s lawyers called Berlin “pathetic” for supplying Israel with weapons and at the same time giving humanitar­ian aid to Palestinians.__The Nation