Overview
- Hungary’s incoming prime minister, speaking Monday, said he will stop the country’s withdrawal from the International Criminal Court and would have to detain anyone under an ICC warrant, including Benjamin Netanyahu.
- Péter Magyar said he has told Netanyahu of this position and kept an invitation for a fall commemoration in Budapest, creating a potential early test of the policy.
- He aims to halt the withdrawal before June 2, the one-year mark after Hungary notified the UN to leave, which is when an ICC departure would otherwise take effect.
- The shift reverses Viktor Orbán’s 2025 stance when Hungary hosted Netanyahu, declined to act on the warrant, and was reported to the court’s oversight body for failing to arrest him.
- European responses to the warrant remain inconsistent, with France invoking Article 98 immunity and Germany and Italy signaling reluctance, which further limits Netanyahu’s safe travel and heightens diplomatic strain.