Hungarian prime minister Viktor Orbán announced that his country is withdrawing from the International Criminal Court over its prosecution of Israeli leaders—and more countries will follow, Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Thursday.
During a joint appearance with Orbán in Budapest, Netanyahu praised Hungary’s decision to pull out of the ICC and called Orbán “the first and, dare I say, not the last to walk away from this corruption, this rottenness,” according to Jewish Insider.
“There is zero tolerance in Hungary for antisemitism,” Orbán said.
The ICC in November issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former defense minister Yoav Gallant, accusing them of war crimes and crimes against humanity for leading Israel’s war against Hamas terrorists. More than 100 nations are legally obligated to arrest Netanyahu if he enters their territory, though many countries, including Germany, France, and Italy, have indicated they will not comply. Neither Israel nor the United States is a member of the ICC.
Netanyahu on Thursday urged “all democracies to stand up to this corrupt organization.”
Instead of arresting Netanyahu, the Hungarian government rolled out a red carpet and welcomed the Israeli prime minister with full military honors at Buda Castle, Jewish Insider reported.
“You and your leadership have done remarkable things for Israel and the Jewish people,” Netanyahu told Orbán. “You stand with us at the EU and the U.N. You took a principled position on the ICC.”
Orbán, who approved Hungary’s accession to the ICC in 1999, during his first term as prime minister, on Thursday condemned the court.
“I am convinced that it has become a political court, not a court of the rule of law,” Orbán said. “We do not wish to have any part of it in the coming period.”
