Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to arrive in Hungary’s capital on Wednesday to meet with the country’s prime minister, despite an international arrest warrant for the Israeli leader over the war in the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu’s four-day visit to Budapest is a sign of both his close relationship with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and the latter’s growing hostility toward international institutions, like the International Criminal Court, of which his country is a member.
Orbán, a conservative populist and close Netanyahu ally, has vowed to disregard the ICC warrant against the Israeli leader, accusing the world’s top war crimes court based in The Hague, Netherlands, of “interfering in an ongoing conflict for political purposes.”
Members of Orbán’s government have suggested Hungary, which became a signatory to the court in 2001, could withdraw. Currently, all countries in the 27-member European Union, including Hungary, are signatories, and all members of the court are required to detain suspects facing a warrant if they set foot on their soil.
ICC relies on co-operation from member states
But the court itself has no police to enforce warrants, instead relying on co-operation from its 124 member states.
On Tuesday, rights group Human Rights Watch urged Hungary to deny Netanyahu entry, or arrest him if he enters the country.
“Orbán’s invitation to Netanyahu is an affront to victims of serious crimes,” said Liz Evenson, international justice director at Human Rights Watch, in a news release. “Hungary should comply with its legal obligations as a party to the ICC and arrest Netanyahu if he sets foot in the country.”
The ICC, the world’s only permanent global tribunal for war crimes and genocide, issued the arrest warrant in November for Netanyahu, as well as for his former defence minister and Hamas’s military chief, accusing them of crimes against humanity in connection with the war in Gaza.
Israel invaded Gaza following the devastating attack on southern Israel by Hamas-led gunmen on Oct. 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies, and saw 251 taken hostage.
The Israeli campaign has killed more than 50,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian health officials. The war has ravaged the Gaza Strip, forcing almost the entire population of 2.3 million from their homes.
‘Starvation as a method of warfare’
The warrants said there was reason to believe Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant used “starvation as a method of warfare” by restricting humanitarian aid, and intentionally targeted civilians in Israel’s campaign against Hamas in Gaza — charges that Israeli officials deny.
The ICC has criticized Hungary’s decision to defy its warrant for Netanyahu. The court’s spokesperson, Fadi El Abdallah, said it’s not for parties to the ICC “to unilaterally determine the soundness of the Court’s legal decisions.”
Participating states have an obligation to enforce the court’s decisions, El Ebdallah told The Associated Press in an email, and may consult with the court if they disagree with its rulings.
“Any dispute concerning the judicial functions of the Court shall be settled by the decision of the Court,” El Abdallah said.
‘Contempt for international law’
The two leaders are also allied with U.S. President Donald Trump, who signed an executive order in February imposing sanctions on the ICC over its investigations of Israel.
Nearly one month after Israel imposed a complete blockade on goods entering Gaza, families fasting for the holy month of Ramadan say finding food has been a struggle amid dwindling supplies and soaring prices.
Erika Guevara-Rosas, the head of global research, advocacy and policy of human rights group Amnesty International, said in a statement that Hungary “must arrest [Netanyahu] if he travels to the country and hand him over to the Court.”
“Hungary’s invitation shows contempt for international law and confirms that alleged war criminals wanted by the ICC are welcome on the streets of a European Union member state,” Guevara-Rosas said.
Evenson, with Human Rights Watch, said that Hungary allowing Netanyahu’s visit was a breach of Hungary’s ICC obligations, and “would be Orban’s latest assault on the rule of law, adding to the country’s dismal record on rights.”
In March 2023, the ICC issued an arrest warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for war crimes, accusing him of personal responsibility for the abductions of children from Ukraine.
Putin visited Mongolia, which is also a member of the ICC, in September last year, but he wasn’t arrested. Last year, judges found that Mongolia failed to uphold its legal obligations and referred the matter to the court’s oversight body.
