Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in Hungary on April 3, marking his first trip to Europe since the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued an arrest warrant against him over alleged war crimes in Gaza.
Hungarian Minister of Defense Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky greeted Netanyahu at Budapest airport around 2:30 AM and later confirmed his arrival via a post on Facebook, welcoming him to Hungary.
Despite the arrest warrant, Netanyahu is confident he will not be arrested during his four-day visit. Hungary, as a signatory to the ICC, is obligated to arrest him, but the country’s complex legal situation has allowed the government to host the Israeli leader.
Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban publicly invited Netanyahu for a visit in November, shortly after the ICC’s arrest warrant was issued, stating, “I guarantee him that the ICC’s decision will have no effect in Hungary.”
Diplomatic sources within Hungary have told Radio Free Europe that the country is considering withdrawing from the ICC, although this decision has yet to be confirmed officially. Orban has aligned himself closely with Netanyahu and U.S. President Donald Trump, who has criticized the arrest warrant.
Trump imposed sanctions on the ICC last month, calling the warrant against Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant “baseless.”
The indictment claims Netanyahu is responsible for war crimes, including the use of starvation as a method of warfare and directing attacks against civilians, along with crimes of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts from October 8, 2023, to May 20, 2024.
While the ICC cannot arrest individuals directly, it relies on states that have signed the Rome Statute to enforce arrest warrants. The ICC’s spokesperson, Fadi El-Abdallah, stated that countries are legally obligated to carry out court orders.
