Netanyahu visited Hungary on Thursday, in defiance of his arrest warrant [Getty/file photo]
Global human rights group on Amnesty International urged Hungary on Thursday to detain Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu despite Budapest’s decision to withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), which issued a warrant for the Israeli leader’s arrest late last year.
The organisation said Hungary “still has a fundamental obligation to arrest and surrender Benjamin Netanyahu to the ICC,” despite its decision to no longer be part of the court, and amid his visit to the country which began on Thursday.
Withdrawal from the ICC would take effect one year from when the decision was made, which means Hungary has a “fundamental obligation to arrest and surrender Benjamin Netanyahu to the ICC,” according to Agnes Callamard, Secretary General of Amnesty International.
Callamard also criticised Hungary’s welcoming of Netanyahu amid the brutal war on Gaza, accusing Prime Minister Viktor Orban of “harbouring a wanted ICC fugitive”.
She added: “By welcoming Netanyahu, Hungary is effectively giving a seal of approval to Israel’s genocide, namely the physical destruction of the Palestinian people in whole or in part in Gaza.”
Callamard also called on the ICC’s members, as well as the European Union, to urge Hungary to arrest Netanyahu.
The organisation also has slammed Budapest’ eventual departure from the ICC, describing it as “a brazen and futile attempt to evade international justice and to stymy the ICC’s work”.
Given Hungary’s status as a current ICC member despite its decision to leave, Budapest is still legally obliged to comply with the court’s orders, thus the obligation to arrest Netanyahu.
The Palestinian Authority (PA) also echoed Amnesty’s sentiments, urging Hungary to arrest Netanyahu and obey the court’s ruling.
“The ministry calls on the Hungarian government to comply with the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant by immediately handing Netanyahu over to bring him to justice”, the Ramallah-based PA’s foreign affairs ministry said in a statement on Thursday.
The Israeli Prime Minister, along with former Minister of Defence Yoav Gallant, are wanted by the criminal court for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in the Gaza Strip, committed during Israel’s war in the Palestinian territory – ongoing since 7 October, 2023.
More than 50,500 Palestinians have been killed in the war since. A humanitarian crisis has also unfolded in the enclave, as Israel imposes a complete ban on humanitarian aid entering.
Israel has been accused of numerous war crimes in the Strip, including targeting and killing medical staff, besieging hospitals and using starvation as a weapon of war.
The arrest warrants were issued by top prosecutor Karim Khan in November last year.
On Thursday, Hungary’s right-wing government welcomed Netanyahu to the country, who in turn praised the country’s decision to withdraw its membership from the ICC.
Orban is seen as Israel and Netanyahu’s closest ally in the European Union. The prime minister, serving his second term since 2010, is a right-wing nationalist and soft Eurosceptic. He has also been accused of corruption and kleptocracy.
