Hungary’s New Leader Said It Will No Longer Withdraw From The ICC And Will Arrest Netanyahu If He Visits
“If a country is a member of the ICC and a person who is wanted by the ICC enters our territory, then that person must be taken into custody.”
Hungary’s new prime minister Péter Magyar has said he would reverse the decision of the former long-standing far-right leader Victor Orbán to withdraw the country from the International Criminal Court (ICC) and warned that Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu will be arrested if he enters the country.
In November 2024, the ICC had issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and then-Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant for crimes against humanity, including using murder, persecution and starvation as a weapon of war from at least Oct. 8, 2023, until at least May 20, 2024.
As the ICC does not have its own police force, it relieson member countries to make arrests.
Outgoing prime minister Orbán, who had ruled Hungary for 16 years, ignored the warrant and invited Netanyahu to visit the country.
In April 2025, Orbán also announced Hungary would withdraw from the ICC, saying it was “no longer an impartial court, but rather a political court” due to its decision to arrest Netanyahu.
Netanyahu visited the country in April 2025, marking the first time he had made a trip to Europe since Israel began its genocide in Gaza in October 2023.
Orbán was voted out of power in elections on April 6, with people electing lawyer Magyar in his place.
On Monday, April 20, Magyar warned that his new government would arrest Netanyahu if he entered the country.
Magyar said he would halt Hungary’s “reinitiation” of its admission to cooperate with the ICC when he takes office in May.
“If a country is a member of the ICC and a person who is wanted by the ICC enters our territory, then that person must be taken into custody,” Magyar told reporters.
Magyar did not confirm if Hungary will continue to block EU sanctions against Israel, saying he would consider the country’s “best interest.”
"Israel is an important economic partner, and we will continue to work with them, aiming for a pragmatic relationship,” he said.
Netanyahu had been planning to visit Hungary in fall.
Flavie Chen
Sofia Hou
