Budapest withdraws from Hague court case in Netanyahu’s favor
According to webangah News Agency, Hungary’s parliament has voted in favor of withdrawing from the International Criminal Court (ICC) during its final legislative session.
The bill passed with over two-thirds majority support from lawmakers. The decisive vote followed intense parliamentary debates in late April, where all legislators from the ruling Fidesz party (Hungarian Civic Alliance) and their allies from the Christian Democratic People’s Party backed the measure, while liberal democratic parties opposed it.
Hungarian Foreign Minister Péter Szijjártó stated during the bill’s submission that “the ICC has become highly politicized in recent years,” accusing various nations of exploiting the court for geopolitical objectives in international conflicts. He emphasized: “Budapest believes politics and geopolitics have no place in international legal institutions.”
The Hungarian government first announced its intention to withdraw from the ICC in early April, timing its declaration with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s visit to Budapest.
The ICC issued an arrest warrant against Netanyahu in november 2023 for alleged war crimes and crimes against humanity in Gaza. Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor orbán condemned this decision as “outrageous and shameful.”
