Hungary Announces Withdrawal from the International Criminal Court Concurrent with Netanyahu's Visit

Hungary announced its withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Budapest. This is Netanyahu's first trip to Europe following the ICC's issuance of an arrest warrant against him for war crimes in Gaza. Christoph Zalay-Boberunichki, Hungary's Minister of Defense, met with Netanyahu at Budapest airport around 2:30 AM on Thursday, April 14. Hours later, Hungary's state news agency MTI reported, citing Gergely Gulyas, head of Prime Minister Viktor Orban's office, that the government intends to withdraw from the ICC. Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty had reported this news earlier in the week, citing diplomatic sources in Hungary. Gulyas stated that Hungary will exit the ICC, and the government has initiated the withdrawal process on April 3 in accordance with constitutional and international frameworks. Even before this announcement, the Israeli Prime Minister was practically assured that he would not be arrested during his four-day visit to Hungary. The ICC, based in The Hague, issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant, and Saif; reactions followed. As one of the signatories of the ICC, Hungary is obligated to arrest him, but the country's internal legal situation is complex enough to provide the government with sufficient space to welcome Netanyahu. The ICC does not have its own police force to enforce its rulings and relies solely on cooperation from countries. The withdrawal process is expected to take up to a year as it requires parliamentary approval. Viktor Orban publicly invited Netanyahu shortly after the ICC's ruling, calling it 'outrageous, pessimistic, and completely unacceptable.' The Hungarian Prime Minister stated, 'If he comes, I guarantee that the court's ruling is not enforceable in Hungary.' The political reasons behind this are significant; Orban is a close ally of Netanyahu and Donald Trump, the U.S. President, who has criticized the ICC's ruling. Neither the United States nor Israel are members of the ICC. Last month, Trump imposed sanctions against the ICC and described the arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant as 'baseless.' The ICC indictment states that Netanyahu is responsible for war crimes, including the use of starvation as a method of warfare and intentionally directing attacks against civilians and crimes against humanity such as murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts from at least October 2023 to May 20, 2024.