BUDAPEST — Hungary announced Thursday it will withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), a move coinciding with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's scheduled visit amid his ongoing ICC arrest warrant for alleged war crimes in Gaza.
Gergely Gulyás, chief of staff to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán, confirmed the decision on social media, stating the withdrawal process would follow constitutional and international legal protocols. The announcement comes hours before Netanyahu's arrival in Budapest for bilateral talks focused on economic and security partnerships.
The ICC, established in 2002 to prosecute genocide and crimes against humanity, has faced accusations of political bias from multiple nations. Hungary’s withdrawal follows the court’s recent focus on conflicts in Ukraine and Palestine, though Gulyás did not directly cite these cases.
European Union leaders expressed concern over the timing, with Human Rights Watch calling it "a blow to global accountability." Analysts suggest the move aligns Hungary closer to non-ICC states like the U.S., Russia, and China while reflecting Orbán’s long-standing skepticism of multilateral institutions.
Netanyahu’s visit—his first to an EU country since returning to power—underscores warming Hungary-Israel relations, including defense technology collaborations and shared criticism of EU migration policies. The ICC warrant against Netanyahu, issued in 2023, alleges unlawful settlement expansion and civilian casualties during Israeli military operations.
