Hungary declares it will withdraw from the International Criminal Court and welcomes Netanyahu. Carousel skip

Hungarian Budapest (AP) — Just as Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu arrived in the nation’s capital to receive lavish treatment despite an arrest warrant from the only permanent international tribunal for war crimes and genocide in the world, an official announced Thursday that Hungary would start the process of withdrawing from the International Criminal Court.

The Israeli leader was welcomed with full military honors in Budapest’s Castle District by Prime Minister Viktor Orbán. As a military band played and a grand parade of troops on horseback, brandishing swords and bayoneted weapons marched by, the two close allies stood side by side.

In a brief statement issued at the ceremony, Orbán’s chief of staff, Gergely Gulyás, stated that “the government will initiate the withdrawal procedure” for quitting the court, which might take a year or longer to finish.

Later, Orbán declared his belief that the ICC is “a political court.”

Netanyahu has only made two international trips since the ICC issued the warrant against him in November, and his current visit to Hungary is set to conclude on Sunday.

In its warrant, the ICC, which is headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands, stated that there was cause to suspect that Netanyahu and former Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant had committed crimes against humanity related to the Gaza War.

The conflict started on October 7, 2023, when terrorists headed by Hamas assaulted southern Israel, killing almost 1,200 people, primarily civilians, and capturing 251 hostages, the majority of whom have since been freed via ceasefire negotiations and other arrangements. Israel has retrieved dozens of dead and freed eight captives who are still alive.

Additionally, three Hamas commanders who were later slain had arrest warrants issued by the ICC.

The Health Ministry of Gaza reports that Israel’s attack has killed over 50,000 Palestinians, however it does not specify whether the dead are militants or civilians. Israel broke a truce last month and began its operations, claiming to have killed some 20,000 terrorists without offering any proof.

Orbán welcomed Netanyahu to Budapest after the ICC issued the warrant and charged the court with “interfering in an ongoing conflict for political purposes.” That invitation was blatantly against the court’s decision and went against Hungary’s commitment as a signatory to detain any suspects with a warrant if they entered their territory.

Hungary is one of the 27 signatories to the European Union, but the court depends on member nations to uphold its decisions. In 2001, during Orbán’s first term as prime minister, Hungary joined the court.