Hungary on Thursday said it will withdraw from the International Criminal Court in The Hague.
Several months ago, the ICC issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant for war crimes and crimes against humanity related to the Israel-Hamas War.
Together with Netanyahu in Budapest, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said: “I was the prime minister who signed Hungary’s accession to the court, and I am the first to leave the Hague Criminal Court, because we are convinced that this court has become political.”
In response, Netanyahu said: “You made a courageous decision, an important decision for the whole world, to stand up against a corrupt organization like the ICC.”
Hungary's withdrawal process had already begun
Zoltan Kovacs, Orban’s senior adviser, said the process of withdrawal from the ICC had already begun
“The arrest warrant itself is outrageous,” he said this week in an interview with The Jerusalem Post. “International organizations have been hijacked by the liberal world order, and the ICC is being used as a political weapon – a witch hunt.”
Even before the decision, Hungary became the first member country of the ICC to announce that Netanyahu would be able to visit without being arrested.
On Thursday, Netanyahu arrived in Hungary and was welcomed by a ceremonial guard for a visit that is expected to last until Saturday night.
Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar, who has spoken several times with his Hungarian counterpart over the past year regarding the ICC issue, praised the decision. The ICC had lost its moral authority after trampling on the fundamental principles of international law in its enthusiasm to undermine Israel’s right to self-defense, he said.
“Thank you to Prime Minister Viktor Orban, and thank you to Hungary for standing morally, clearly, and powerfully with Israel and the principles of justice and sovereignty!” Sa’ar posted on X/Twitter.
Hamas condemned the Hungarian government’s announcement and said the decision was a “slap in the face” to the principle of international justice. It called on the Orban government to cancel its “biased and shameful decision” and fulfill its legal obligations.
The visit to Hungary was Netanyahu’s second trip abroad since the ICC announced the warrants, following a visit to Washington in February to meet with President Donald Trump.