BUDAPEST, Nov 22 (Reuters) – Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban announced on Friday that he would invite Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to Hungary, assuring that an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant against Netanyahu would not be enforced there.
The ICC issued arrest warrants on Thursday for Netanyahu, his former defense chief, and Hamas leader Ibrahim Al-Masri, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza conflict.
Orban, who holds the EU’s rotating six-month presidency, criticized the ICC’s decision, calling the arrest warrant “wrong.” He assured that Netanyahu would be able to hold talks in Hungary “safely.”
“I am inviting Israel’s Prime Minister, Mr. Netanyahu, to Hungary, and I guarantee that if he visits, the ICC ruling will have no effect here, and we will not comply with it,” Orban stated.
Since Orban’s Fidesz party came to power in 2010, Hungary and Israel have developed close political ties. Netanyahu visited Budapest in 2017.
Israeli leaders and the White House strongly condemned the ICC’s move, while EU foreign policy chief Josep Borrell insisted the warrants were not political and that all EU member states must respect the court’s decision.
Within the EU, Hungary and the Czech Republic have been staunch supporters of Israel, while countries like Spain and Ireland have expressed support for the Palestinians.
In response to the ICC ruling, the Czech Foreign Ministry stated it would adhere to international legal obligations. However, Czech Prime Minister Petr Fiala called the decision “unfortunate,” adding on X that it undermines the ICC’s credibility by equating democratically elected leaders with members of an Islamist terrorist group.
