Hungary’s government has stated that it will withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
A senior official in Prime Minister Viktor Orban’s government announced this this hours after Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu came to Hungary for a state visit and was wanted by the International Criminal Court.
Orban invited Netanyahu as soon as the warrant was issued in November, claiming the verdict would have “no effect” in his country.
In November, ICC judges found “reasonable grounds” to believe Netanyahu bore “criminal responsibility” for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity committed during Israel’s battle with Hamas. Netanyahu has called the ICC’s judgement “antisemitic”.
The International Criminal Court (ICC), a global court, has the ability to punish individuals accused of genocide, crimes against humanity, and war crimes.
Hungary is a founding member of the International Criminal Court, which currently has 125 members, and will be the first European Union country to withdraw. A withdrawal has no effect on the ongoing proceedings.
During a joint press conference, Orban claimed that the ICC had evolved into a “political court”. He said that the court’s decision to issue a warrant for the Israeli leader “clearly demonstrated” this.
Netanyahu, meanwhile, hailed Hungary’s “bold and principled” decision to withdraw from the court.
“It’s important for all democracies. It’s important to stand up to this corrupt organisation,” Netanyahu said.
According to a statement from the Israeli prime minister’s office on Thursday, Netanyahu and Orban discussed the decision with US President Donald Trump, as well as the “next steps that can be taken on this issue”.
Earlier, Israel’s Foreign Minister Gideon Sa’ar hailed Orban on X for his “clear and strong moral stance alongside Israel”.
“The so-called International Criminal Court lost its moral authority after trampling the fundamental principles of international law in its zest for harming Israel’s right to self-defence,” Sa’ar added.
Hungary’s decision is consistent with its larger foreign policy stance under Orban, who has maintained close connections with Israel and taken a negative view of international organisations deemed to infringe on national sovereignty.
While Hungary’s departure has symbolic and political ramifications, it has no meaningful impact on the International Criminal Court’s operational capabilities or legal framework.
The court has withstood similar problems in the past and continues to operate with widespread international backing.
However, Hungary’s condemnation of the ICC as “politically biased” and its decision to withdraw during Netanyahu’s visit may establish a precedent for other countries to question or abandon their commitments to international justice based on political alignments or problems with individual verdicts.
The United States, Russia, China, and North Korea are among the countries that are not members of the ICC and thus do not acknowledge its jurisdiction.
Israel is also not a signatory to the treaty, but the International Criminal Court determined in 2021 that it does have jurisdiction over the occupied West Bank, East Jerusalem, and Gaza because the UN Secretary General accepted Palestinian membership.
According to Article 127 of the Rome Statute, which founded the ICC, Hungary must now provide written notification to the UN Secretary General in order to withdraw from the treaty, which will take effect one year later.
According to ICC spokesman Fadi El-Abdullah, the court followed customary processes after issuing an arrest order during Mr Netanyahu’s visit. The court reminds Hungary’s obligation to assist with the ICC.
Since the warrant was issued, Hungarian authorities should technically arrest Netanyahu and deliver him over to the court in The Hague; however, member states do not always follow ICC warrants.
In Europe, several ICC member states threatened to arrest Netanyahu if he visited their country, while others, notably Germany, stated that he would not be jailed if he did.
However, Germany’s Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock stated on Thursday that Hungary’s statement was “a bad day for international criminal law”.
“Europe has clear rules that apply to all EU member states, and that is the Rome Statute. I have made it clear time and again that no one in Europe is above the law, and that applies to all areas of law,” she added.
On the other side of the Atlantic, the United States has condemned the International Criminal Court’s decision to issue arrest warrants for Netanyahu, and he has visited the country since November. Netanyahu’s visit to Hungary is his first trip to Europe since then.
Hungarian Defence Minister Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky received Netanyahu on the tarmac of Budapest Airport on Wednesday night, welcoming him to Hungary.
