Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu plans to visit Budapest on April 2, despite the current warrant for his arrest issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC). Hungary is a party to the Rome Statute and is legally bound to comply with the court’s decision, but Viktor Orbán has said he will not comply with the order, informs The Times of Israel.
During the visit, Netanyahu is scheduled to meet with Orbán, who invited him to Hungary after the ICJ decision in November 2024. Orbán condemned the warrant issued by a court in The Hague on suspicion of war crimes in Gaza. Netanyahu will be in Hungary until April 6.
Although Hungary has ratified the Rome Statute and must comply with the ICC ruling, Orbán refused to arrest the Israeli prime minister during the visit.
It will be recalled that the International Criminal Court accuses Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant of committing war crimes, in particular, using hunger as a means of waging war, as well as crimes against humanity. In addition, the court issued an arrest warrant for Hamas leader Mohammed Daif in connection with the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel.
The ICC does not have its own mechanism for enforcement of decisions, so the implementation of warrants depends on the participating states. Arrest warrants for Netanyahu, Gallant and Daif were issued on November 21, 2024. In August 2024, the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) reported the death of Daif in an airstrike in the Khan Yunis area of the Gaza Strip.
All states that have ratified the Rome Statute (currently 123 countries out of 137 signatories) are required to arrest persons for whom warrants have been issued upon their arrival on the territory of these states.
