Netanyahu could be arrested if he visits Hungary

Hungarian Prime Minister-elect Peter Magyar stated that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu should be arrested if he visits Hungary, saying, “If a country is a member of the ICC and a person wanted by the ICC enters your territory, that person should be detained.”

Peter Magyar, leader of the Tisza Party, which won the parliamentary elections in Hungary on April 12, declared that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who has an arrest warrant issued against him by the International Criminal Court (ICC), should be arrested if he enters the country. Magyar, who ended the 16-year rule of Viktor Orban, a strong ally of Netanyahu in Europe, reaffirmed that he would reverse Prime Minister Orban’s move to withdraw Hungary from the ICC. Magyar said that his country would halt the withdrawal process from the ICC until June 2nd. Magyar, who announced that Hungary, under Orban’s leadership, aims to halt the process of withdrawing from the ICC before the one-year deadline, was asked by journalists what this decision would mean for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, who plans to visit Hungary in the fall. Magyar responded to the press by saying, “I have clearly stated this to the Israeli Prime Minister. The Tisza government is determined to stop this process and ensure that Hungary remains a member of the ICC. If a country is a member of the ICC and a person wanted by the ICC enters your territory, that person must be detained.”

Orban had not implemented the ICC decision and had hosted Netanyahu in Budapest.

The ICC, the UN court that prosecutes genocide and war crimes, issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in November 2024 for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Gaza. On the other hand, Hungarian Prime Minister Orban invited Netanyahu, who is facing international isolation, to Budapest and announced his country’s withdrawal from the ICC before the visit. The Hungarian government refused to arrest Netanyahu during his visit to Budapest, despite him still being a member of the court, and Orban guaranteed Netanyahu immunity.

Following his election victory, Hungary’s newly elected Prime Minister Magyar announced that his country might no longer veto EU sanctions against radical Israeli settlers.

Kaynak: İhlas Haber Ajansı (İHA)