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Hungary announces withdrawal from Int'l Criminal Court as Netanyahu arrives for 4-day visit

Hungary will begin procedure to depart ICC on Thursday, government minister says

 
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara were welcomed, today (Thursday, 3 April 2025), by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his wife, and an honor guard, at a ceremony in Budapest. (Photo: Avi Ohayon/GPO)

After Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu landed in Hungary for a four-day visit in Budapest, and shortly before his official welcome by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, the Hungarian leader announced his country’s withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC). 

Gergely Gulyás, the minister heading Orbán’s office, announced the withdrawal from the court to Hungarian national news agency MTI on Thursday morning. 

Minister Gulyás said the Hungarian government will initiate the termination procedure on Thursday, in accordance with the constitutional and international legal frameworks. 

“The International Criminal Court was a respectable initiative, but at the same time, we can see in recent times that – and the indictment of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is the saddest example of this – it has become a political body,” Gulyás told MTI. 

Hungary had previously said that it would not enforce the ICC arrest warrant against Netanyahu. The country has also supported Israel several times in the international arena since the start of the Gaza War. Prime Minister Orbán has also praised the countries’ relationship in the past, saying they are both “successful conservative countries.” 

Prime Minister Netanyahu was received in Budapest with great fanfare by Hungarian Prime Minister Orbán at Buda Castle, where the prime minister’s office is. 

During his visit to Budapest, Netanyahu is expected to discuss diplomatic relations between Israel and Hungary, economic cooperation, and Hungary's support for Israel's policy in the international arena. 

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán had already raised the possibility of withdrawing from the ICC in February after U.S. President Donald Trump announced sanctions against ICC Chief Prosecutor Karim Khan. 

"The time has come for Hungary to examine what we are doing in an international organization that is subject to U.S. sanctions," Orbán said at the time. 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his wife Sara were welcomed, today (Thursday, 3 April 2025), by Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban and his wife, and an honor guard, at a ceremony in Budapest. (Photo: Avi Ohayon/GPO)

Hungary signed the Rome Statute, which includes the principles by which the International Criminal Court in The Hague operates, in 1999. 

Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar praised Hungary’s decision in a post to 𝕏. 

“I commend Hungary's important decision to withdraw from the ICC. FM Péter Szijjártó and I dealt with this matter extensively. The so-called "International Criminal Court" lost its moral authority after trampling the fundamental principles of international law in its zest for harming Israel's right to self-defense,” Sa’ar wrote. 

The foreign minister also thanked Hungary for its "clear and strong moral stance alongside Israel and the principles of justice and sovereignty.” 

The All Israel News Staff is a team of journalists in Israel.

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