Hungary announces ICC withdrawal as Israel's Netanyahu visits

This photograph taken on March 14, 2025 shows the International Criminal Court (ICC) in The Hague. [AFP] Hungary on Thursday said it will quit the International Criminal Court, just as Prime Minister Viktor Orban hosted his Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu, whom the tribunal has accused of war crimes in Gaza. The government announcement to start the year-long withdrawal process came as Orban welcomed Netanyahu in the capital Budapest on his first trip to Europe since 2023. Orban, who has promised not to execute an ICC warrant for Netanyahu, received the Israeli premier with military honours, with both men walking the red carpet before pausing in front of their national flags. Israeli Foreign Minister Gideon Saar praised Hungary and Orban for taking a "clear and strong moral stance" by announcing its decision to withdraw from the ICC. Orban invited Netanyahu last November, a day after the ICC issued an arrest warrant against the Israeli leader for crimes against humanity and war crimes. The leaders are to hold a joint press conference at around 1:00 pm (1100 GMT) following their meeting. Orban has said the court's decision against Netanyahu "intervenes in an ongoing conflict... for political purposes". The Hungarian leader's chief of staff Gergely Gulyas said the government "will initiate the withdrawal procedure on Thursday, in accordance with the constitutional and international legal framework". A state's withdrawal takes effect one year after the deposit of the withdrawal's instrument -- usually in the form of a formal letter declaring the pullout -- with the UN Secretary General's office. Duty' to cooperate The ICC on Thursday insisted Hungary had a "duty" to cooperate with the body. "The court recalls that Hungary remains under a duty to cooperate with the ICC," spokesman Fadi El Abdallah said. Experts say Netanyahu, who is due to stay in Hungary until Sunday, is trying to diminish the impact of the court's decision, while hoping to drive attention away from tensions at home as he meets like-minded ally Orban. "His ultimate goal is to regain the ability to travel wherever he wants," Moshe Klughaft, an international strategic consultant and former advisor to Netanyahu, told AFP. "At first, he's flying to places where there's no risk of arrest, and in doing so, he's also paving the way to normalise his future travels." Germany's chancellor-in-waiting Friedrich Merz in February vowed to make sure Netanyahu can visit his country. The Hungary trip "goes hand in hand with US sanctions against the ICC", Klughaft said, referring to the punitive measures President Donald Trump imposed in February over what he described as "illegitimate and baseless actions targeting America and our close ally Israel". Hungary signed the Rome Statute, the international treaty that created the ICC, in 1999 and ratified it two years later during Orban's first term in office. The ICC, set up in 2002, has no police of its own and relies on the cooperation of its 125 member states to carry out any arrest warrants. However, Budapest has not promulgated the associated convention for constitutional reasons and therefore asserts it is not obliged to comply with the decisions of the ICC. So far only the Burundi and the Philippines have withdrawn from the court. Increasing pressure The ICC issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu and former defence minister Yoav Gallant over allegations of crimes against humanity and war crimes -- including starvation as a method of warfare -- in Israel's war against Hamas in Gaza. The war was sparked by the militant Palestinian group's attack against Israel on October 7, 2023. During the visit, Orban is expected to support Netanyahu on Trump's proposal to relocate more than two million Palestinians from Gaza to neighbouring countries such as Egypt and Jordan. Netanyahu's trip comes as he faces increasing pressure over his government's attempts to replace both the domestic security chief and attorney general, while expanding the power of politicians over the appointment of judges. The Israeli prime minister also testified in a probe involving alleged payments from Qatar to some of his senior staff after two of his aides were arrested. "One of Netanyahu's methods is controlling the Israeli agenda," Klughaft said, adding that the Hungary visit gives him a chance to set the conversation for days.

Hungary announces ICC withdrawal as Israel's Netanyahu visits

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