Hungary says it is withdrawing from International Criminal Court as Israeli PM Netanyahu visits country

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Hungary is withdrawing from the International Criminal Court (ICC), a move that comes shortly after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in the country on Thursday for a visit with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban.

Netanyahu, who is wanted by the ICC on allegations of war crimes in Gaza, and his wife were greeted on the tarmac by an honor guard and Hungarian Minister of Defense Kristóf Szalay-Bobrovniczky and Israeli Ambassador to Hungary Maya Kadosh.

He is expected to be in Hungary for four days.

Hungary – a founding member of the ICC – is obligated to arrest anyone wanted by the court and turn them over, but Orban has described the warrant for Netanyahu as “brazen, cynical and completely unacceptable.”

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Hungary announced it is withdrawing from the International Criminal Court as it is hosting Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu, who is wanted by the court for alleged war crimes in Gaza. ( Janos Kummer/Getty Images)

Orban’s Chief of Staff Gergely Gulyas told state media that Hungary would launch its withdrawal process later in the day on Thursday. 

The withdrawal doesn’t come as a surprise as Orban questioned the country’s involvement in the ICC in February following President Donald Trump’s decision to impose sanctions on the court’s prosecutor, Karim Khan.

“It’s time for Hungary to review what we’re doing in an international organization that is under U.S. sanctions,” Orban said on X in February.

The International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu and his former defense chief, Yoav Gallant, last year. (Selman Aksunger/Anadolu via Getty Images)

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Hungary’s parliament will likely approve the bill to begin the year-long withdrawal process from the ICC since it is controlled by Orban’s Fidesz Party, according to Reuters.

Orban has strongly supported Netanyahu over the years and, in the past, has been quick to block EU statements or actions criticizing Israel.

Israel has rejected the ICC’s accusations, which come after the Jewish State launched a war against Hamas following the terrorist group’s Oct. 7, 2023, attack in southern Israel that left 1,200 dead and more than 250 taken as hostages.

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When the court issued the warrant for Netanyahu and his former defense chief, Yoav Gallant, it said there was reason to believe both men participated in crimes including murder, persecution and starvation as a weapon of war in Gaza.

According to the Hamas-run Palestinian Ministry of Health, Israel has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians during its attack on Gaza.

Reuters contributed to this report.