Hungary has announced its withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC), just hours after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Budapest despite facing an ICC arrest warrant.
Hungary has announced its decision to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), just hours after hosting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who faces an ICC arrest warrant. The Hungarian government, led by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, had already signaled that it would not enforce the warrant, despite being a signatory to the 1998 treaty establishing the court.
Instead of detaining Netanyahu upon his arrival in Budapest on Thursday, Hungary gave him a red-carpet welcome at Buda Castle, complete with military honors. Gergely Gulyás, Orbán’s chief of staff, confirmed the withdrawal plans in a Facebook post, stating that the process would begin immediately “in accordance with constitutional and international law frameworks.”
The ICC issued arrest warrants in November for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Hungary’s move underscores its opposition to the court’s actions against Israeli leaders.