In Defiance of ICC, Netanyahu To Visit Hungary While Gaza Offensive Escalates
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will begin a four-day visit to Hungary on Thursday, defying an International Criminal Court arrest warrant targeting him and former Defence Minister Yoav Gallant with allegations of war crimes committed during the ongoing offensive in Gaza.
During his trip, Netanyahu is scheduled to meet Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, who made it clear that Hungary, a founding member of the ICC, will not honor the arrest warrant. Orban’s government is hosting Netanyahu with military honors in Budapest, despite the international legal obligations to enforce ICC rulings.
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Netanyahu’s visit to Hungary marks his second foreign trip since the ICC issued the warrant last November. The itinerary, which includes a visit to a Holocaust memorial, remains limited in detail; however, a press conference is set for around 10:00 GMT, where Netanyahu is expected to address the controversy.
The visit occurs as Netanyahu faces intense domestic pressure over allegations linking his aides to Qatar and as Israel intensifies its military operations in Gaza. Following a devastating offensive that has killed over 50,000 Palestinians and led to widespread displacement, international criticism of Israel’s actions has mounted, with some accusing it of genocide. Israel, however, maintains that the ICC’s actions are politically motivated and undermined by antisemitism.
Netanyahu has repeatedly rejected the accusations as “fake news” and a politically driven campaign to delegitimize his government. In response, Orban described the ICC’s decision as “brazen, cynical and completely unacceptable,” aligning with Israel’s stance against what it sees as an illegitimate use of international law.
