Netanyahu to meet Orbán in Hungary. How is he getting around his international arrest warrant?

The Associated Press

· Posted: Apr 02, 2025 11:37 AM EDT | Last Updated: 1 hr ago

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is scheduled to get successful Hungary's superior connected Wednesday to conscionable with the country's premier minister, contempt an international apprehension warrant for the Israeli person implicit the warfare successful the Gaza Strip.

Netanyahu's four-day sojourn to Budapest is simply a motion of some his adjacent narration with Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orbán and the latter's increasing hostility toward planetary institutions, similar the International Criminal Court, of which his state is simply a member. 

Orbán, a blimpish populist and adjacent Netanyahu ally, has vowed to disregard the ICC warrant against the Israeli leader, accusing the world's apical warfare crimes tribunal based successful The Hague, Netherlands, of "interfering successful an ongoing struggle for governmental purposes." 

Members of Orbán's authorities person suggested Hungary, which became a signatory to the tribunal successful 2001, could withdraw. Currently, each countries successful the 27-member European Union, including Hungary, are signatories, and each members of the tribunal are required to detain suspects facing a warrant if they acceptable ft connected their soil.

ICC relies connected co-operation from subordinate states

But the tribunal itself has nary constabulary to enforce warrants, alternatively relying connected co-operation from its 124 subordinate states.

On Tuesday, rights group Human Rights Watch urged Hungary to contradict Netanyahu entry, oregon apprehension him if helium enters the country.

"Orbán's invitation to Netanyahu is an affront to victims of superior crimes," said Liz Evenson, planetary justness manager astatine Human Rights Watch, successful a quality release. "Hungary should comply with its ineligible obligations arsenic a enactment to the ICC and apprehension Netanyahu if helium sets ft successful the country." 

The ICC, the world's lone imperishable planetary tribunal for warfare crimes and genocide, issued the apprehension warrant successful November for Netanyahu, arsenic good arsenic for his erstwhile defence curate and Hamas's subject chief, accusing them of crimes against humanity successful transportation with the warfare successful Gaza.

Israel invaded Gaza following the devastating onslaught connected confederate Israel by Hamas-led gunmen connected Oct. 7, 2023, which killed 1,200 people, according to Israeli tallies, and saw 251 taken hostage.

The Israeli run has killed much than 50,000 Palestinians, according to Palestinian wellness officials. The warfare has ravaged the Gaza Strip, forcing astir the full colonisation of 2.3 cardinal from their homes.

'Starvation arsenic a method of warfare'

The warrants said determination was crushed to judge Netanyahu and erstwhile defence curate Yoav Gallant utilized "starvation arsenic a method of warfare" by restricting humanitarian aid, and intentionally targeted civilians successful Israel's run against Hamas successful Gaza — charges that Israeli officials deny.

The ICC has criticized Hungary's determination to defy its warrant for Netanyahu. The court's spokesperson, Fadi El Abdallah, said  it's not for parties to the ICC "to unilaterally find the soundness of the Court's ineligible decisions."

Participating states person an work to enforce the court's decisions, El Ebdallah told The Associated Press successful an email, and whitethorn consult with the tribunal if they disagree with its rulings. 

"Any quality concerning the judicial functions of the Court shall beryllium settled by the determination of the Court," El Abdallah said. 

'Contempt for planetary law'

The 2 leaders are besides allied with U.S. President Donald Trump, who signed an enforcement bid successful February imposing sanctions connected the ICC implicit its investigations of Israel. 

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Erika Guevara-Rosas, the caput of planetary research, advocacy and argumentation of quality rights radical Amnesty International, said successful a connection that Hungary "must apprehension [Netanyahu] if helium travels to the state and manus him implicit to the Court."

"Hungary's invitation shows contempt for planetary instrumentality and confirms that alleged warfare criminals wanted by the ICC are invited connected the streets of a European Union subordinate state," Guevara-Rosas said.

Evenson, with Human Rights Watch, said that Hungary allowing Netanyahu's sojourn was a breach of Hungary's ICC obligations, and "would beryllium Orban's latest battle connected the regularisation of law, adding to the country's dismal grounds connected rights."

In March 2023, the ICC issued an apprehension warrant for Russian President Vladimir Putin for warfare crimes, accusing him of idiosyncratic work for the abductions of children from Ukraine.

Putin visited Mongolia, which is besides a subordinate of the ICC, successful September past year, but helium wasn't arrested. Last year, judges recovered that Mongolia failed to uphold its ineligible obligations and referred the substance to the court's oversight body.