The government of Hungary has announced its decision to leave the International Criminal Court (ICC). This was announced by Gergely Gulyas, Chief of Staff of Prime Minister Viktor Orban, quoted by “Reuters“, reports News.bg.
According to him, the withdrawal process begins immediately and will be carried out in accordance with Hungary's constitutional and international legal obligations.
The decision was announced shortly after the arrival of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Budapest for a four-day state visit. Netanyahu is wanted by the ICC on an arrest warrant related to war crimes charges in Gaza, following the start of the Israeli offensive in response to the attack by “Hamas“ on October 7, 2023.
As a founding member of the ICC, Hungary is theoretically obliged to arrest and hand over individuals against whom arrest warrants have been issued. However, Orbán has categorically stated that his country will not fulfill this obligation. The invitation to Netanyahu was issued a day after the ICC officially announced the arrest warrant against him.
Israel rejects all the ICC charges, describing them as politically motivated and fueled by anti-Semitism. The country claims that the court has lost its legitimacy after issuing an arrest warrant for a democratically elected leader who was exercising his right to self-defense.
Orbán also criticized the ICC decision, describing it as “brazen, cynical and completely unacceptable“.
For its part, the International Criminal Court stressed that member states are obliged to implement its decisions and that it is not their job to assess their validity.