Prime Minister Victor Orban has made it clear that Hungary will not arrest Israeli Prime Minister despite an international warrant.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is heading for a four-day visit to Hungary despite an International Criminal Court (ICC) arrest warrant for alleged war crimes in Gaza.
Hungary, a founding ICC member, is theoretically obligated to arrest and hand over anyone taking a warrant from the court. However, Prime Minister Victor Orban made it clear that it would not respect the ruling.
Netanyahu will meet Orban in Budapest on Wednesday evening. Details of the planned program are limited to visits to the Holocaust Memorial.
The trip is Netanyahu’s second overseas since the ICC issued a warrant last November to arrest both him and former defense minister Joab Gallant. The Israeli Prime Minister visited Washington in February and met his alliance, President Donald Trump. Israel and the United States are not members of the ICC.
The Hague-based court has criticised Hungary’s decision to ignore Netanyahu’s warrant. Court spokesman Fadi el Abdallah said the ICC parties would not “unilaterally determine the soundness of the court’s legal decisions.”
El Abdallah can email the Associated Press and if they do not agree to the award, they can consult with the court.
“Disputes regarding the judicial function of the court shall be resolved by court decisions,” El Abdallah said.
Orban is the EU’s most uncompromising spoiler in the bloc’s decision making and is seen as a pioneer of several tactics that Netanyahu has been accused of employing in Israel, including the conquest of justice and the crackdown on civil society and human rights groups.
Ignore the rule of law
The European Green Party is calling for Netanyahu to be arrested and face ICC trials.
“The European Union and the central government are obligated to support international law and ensure accountability for war crimes and human rights violations,” party co-chair Ciaran Cuffe said in a statement.
“By ignoring the International Criminal Court’s arrest warrant for Prime Minister Netanyahu, Victor Orban shows that he has consistently ignored the rule of law on the international arena that he has consistently demonstrated in Hungary,” Kaff added.
The ICC issued an arrest warrant after rating that Netanyahu and bravery had “intentionally and intentionally deliberately deprived civilians of civilians of survival-critical objects, such as food, water, medicine, medical supplies, fuel and electricity.”
Israel rejected all charges it claims to be politically motivated and supported by anti-Semitism.
