Hungary’s government announces withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC) on Thursday shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Hungary, marking his first visit to any European country since the ICC issued an arrest warrant for him .
Hungary To Exit ICC As Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu Visits State
Gergely Gulyas, Orban’s Chief of Staff, stated to the news agency MTI that the government would launch the withdrawal process later in the day.
On November 21, 2024, ICC issued arrest warrants against two senior Israeli officials, PM Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant, over the allegations of war crimes in Gaza, where Israel launched an offensive following an attack by Hamas-led fighters on southern Israel.
According to the ICC rule, 125 ICC member states, including Hungary, will arrest these two Israeli officials if they enter their boundary.
But on the next day right-wing Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban invited his Israeli counterpart to Budapest. In November Orban announced that he would defy the court to host Netanyahu.
As a founding member of ICC, Hungary is obliged to arrest the Israeli leader on the basis of his visit to Hungary but Orban made clear that Hungary wouldn’t respect the ruling which he called, “brazen, cynical and completely unacceptable.”
On Thursday, Gergely Gulyas, Orban’s Chief of Staff, stated to the news agency MTI that the government would launch the withdrawal process later in the day.
In 1999, Hungary signed ICC’s founding document and ratified it in 2001. Gulyas said in November that even after Hungary ratified it, it was never made part of Hungarian law.
Benjamin Netanyahu, who is serving as the PM of Israel, is on a four day state tour in Hungary. In February, he travelled to the US to meet Donald Trump. Israel has rejected the acquisition by calling it politically motivated and fuelled by antisemitism.
The Israel-Palestine conflict has seen a significant escalation since October 2023, leading to substantial casualties on both sides.
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