Hungary: Prime Minister Orban Defies ICC, Invites Netanyahu to Budapest

Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, whose country currently holds the presidency of the European Union, announced that he would “invite his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu to protest against the arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC).”

“We have no choice but to challenge this decision. I will invite Netanyahu to come to Hungary, where I can assure him that the ICC decision will have no effect,” Orban told Hungarian state radio.

Orban’s statements followed the International Criminal Court’s decision to issue arrest warrants for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Gaza after October 7, 2023. At the request of Chief Prosecutor Karim Ahmad Khan (a Pakistani national under investigation for “sexual harassment”), the ICC issued arrest warrants for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and his former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, as well as Hamas military leader Deif, who Israel believes was killed in a raid on Gaza.

The Jewish state immediately reacted with outrage that a “shameful and blatantly anti-Semitic decision” had been taken from The Hague, worthy of “a new Dreyfus trial.”
The USA and Argentina immediately sided with Israel. The administration of outgoing President Joe Biden said it “categorically rejects” the ICC’s decision, saying it was “deeply concerned” and does not recognize the Court’s jurisdiction “on this matter,” while Argentina’s president, Javier Milei, believes that by doing so, “Israel’s legitimate right to defend itself against constant attacks by Hamas and Hezbollah is being ignored.”