Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is set to visit Hungary in the coming weeks, despite facing an international arrest warrant related to the ongoing war in Gaza, Hungarian officials confirmed on Thursday, according to The Associated Press.
Gergely Gulyás, the chief of staff to Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban, announced at a press conference in Budapest that Netanyahu is expected to visit before Easter, which falls on April 20 this year.
The International Criminal Court (ICC), based in The Hague, issued arrest warrants for Netanyahu, former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant, and several Hamas officials over alleged war crimes committed in Gaza.
Orban, a staunch ally of Netanyahu, has made it clear that Hungary will not comply with the ICC arrest warrant against Netanyahu. Orbán has accused the ICC of politically motivated interference in the Israel-Gaza conflict.
In November, Orban wrote to Netanyahu to denounce the ICC warrants and invite him on an official visit to Hungary.
Although ICC member states, including Hungary, are required to detain individuals with an active arrest warrant if they enter their territories, the ICC lacks enforcement power. There have been differing interpretations among European countries which are signatory of the ICC’s founding treaty on how to handle the warrants.
France has stated that Netanyahu has immunity from ICC actions because Israel has not ratified the court’s statutes. Similarly, Italy has argued that arresting Netanyahu would not be feasible while he remains in office as Israel's Prime Minister.
Dutch Prime Minister Dick Schoof recently suggested that there could be ways for Netanyahu to visit the Netherlands without being arrested, despite the ICC arrest warrant against him.
Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk stated in January that Netanyahu would have safe passage and would not face arrest had he chosen to attend the 80th-anniversary commemoration of the liberation of Auschwitz.
Germany's likely next chancellor, Friedrich Merz, recently announced that he had extended an invitation to Netanyahu for a visit, adding that arrangements would be made to prevent Netanyahu from being arrested.
"I think it is a completely absurd idea that an Israeli prime minister cannot visit the Federal Republic of Germany," Merz stated.
Gulyás on Thursday expressed support for Hungary withdrawing from the ICC, claiming that the court has “lost its meaning by conducting political instead of legal activities.” However, he added that Hungary's government has not yet made any decision on this matter.