Hungary ‘Expected to Withdraw from ICC’ During Netanyahu Visit

Budapest (Quds News Network)- Hungary is reportedly planning to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC) during a visit by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, which begins on Wednesday, despite the arrest warrant issued by the Hague-based court over war crimes in Gaza.

The plan to withdraw from the court has been reported by the Israeli and Hungarian media.

The ICC issued in November arrest warrants for Netanyahu and his former defence chief, Yoav Gallant, for war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza.

The war crimes include using “starvation as a method of warfare; and the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.”

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán’s chief of staff, Gergely Gulyás, told a news conference in Budapest about two weeks ago that Netanyahu would likely visit Hungary before Easter, which falls this year on April 20.

“According to current plans, Netanyahu will arrive before Easter. Once the date of the visit is confirmed, we will, of course, announce it, taking into account the extremely important security considerations in this case,” he said.

Gulyás added he would “very much support” Hungary withdrawing from the ICC, claiming it had “lost its meaning by conducting political instead of legal activities.”

Orban invited Netanyahu to visit Hungary last November, saying he would guarantee that the ICC arrest warrant would “not be observed.”

Member countries of the ICC, such as Hungary, are required to detain suspects facing a warrant if they set foot on their soil, but the court has no way to enforce that.

Neither Israel nor its close ally the United States is a a member of or recognises the ICC, the world’s only permanent global tribunal for war crimes and genocide.

The court has more than 120 member states, though some countries have already said that they would not arrest him.

In February, US President Donald Trump signed an executive order imposing sanctions on the court over investigations of Israel. The order accused the ICC of engaging in “illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel” and of abusing its power by issuing “baseless arrest warrants” against Netanyahu and Gallant.

Amnesty International also called on Hungary to arrest and surrender Netanyahu to the ICC if he visits Budapest. The human rights organization said that hosting Netanyahu would violate international law and embolden Israel to commit more crimes against Palestinians.

Erika Guevara-Rosas, Amnesty’s head of Global Research, Advocacy, and Policy, condemned Hungary’s invitation. “Prime Minister Netanyahu is an alleged war criminal”, she said. “Any trip to an ICC member state that does not end in his arrest would embolden Israel to commit further crimes. Hungary’s invitation shows contempt for international law.”

She also warned that allowing Netanyahu to evade justice would be a betrayal of the ICC’s mission to hold leaders accountable for crimes that “shock the human conscience.”

While Hungary has pledged not to detain Netanyahu, Amnesty noted that traveling there could still put him at risk of arrest. The Israeli leader must pass through the airspace of other ICC member states, some of which have warned that they would detain him upon arrival.

Hungary was among the first countries that ratified the Rome Statute, the treaty that established the ICC in 2002. If it withdraws, it will become the first EU country to pull out of the treaty.

Under article 127 of the Rome Statute, Hungary would need to send a written notification to the UN Secretary General to leave the treaty, then the withdrawal would take effect one year after the receipt of the notice.

It marks Netanyahu’s first trip to an ICC member state since the court issued arrest warrants for him and his former defence minister.

On Wednesday, the ICC’s spokesperson Fadi El-Abdallah denounced Hungary’s non-compliance with the court’s decision.

“This is not only a legal obligation to the court under the Rome Statute, it is also a responsibility towards other states parties,” he told Middle East Eye.

“When states have concerns in cooperating with the court, they may consult the court in a timely and efficient manner,” El-Abdallah said. “However, it is not for states to unilaterally determine the soundness of the court’s legal decisions.”

According to article 119 of the Rome Statute, “any dispute concerning the judicial functions of the court shall be settled by the decision of the court”.

Meanwhile, the Hind Rajab Foundation, a Brussels-based advocacy group focused on international justice, said on Tuesday that it was due to launch “a coordinated legal and political campaign” against Netanyahu’s visit to urge his arrest.