Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu landed in Hungary early Thursday, defying an active arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC) over alleged war crimes in Gaza.
Hungarian Defense Minister Kristof Szalay-Bobrovniczky welcomed Netanyahu via Facebook post: “Welcome to Budapest, Benjamin Netanyahu!” The Israeli leader arrived in Budapest shortly after 2:30 a.m. local time and is scheduled to hold talks with Prime Minister Viktor Orban.
A joint press conference is expected at 12:30 p.m. (1030 GMT).
Orban extended the invitation to Netanyahu in November 2024, just a day after the ICC issued the warrant. He vowed that Hungary, an EU and ICC member, would not enforce the court’s order, calling it a politically motivated move interfering in an ongoing conflict.
Despite this, the ICC maintains Hungary has a legal duty to comply with the warrant under international obligations.