Hungary says it will pull out of ICC as Orban hosts Israel’s Netanyahu – who is wanted by the court

Hungary will withdraw from the International Criminal Court (ICC), its government said Wednesday, as the country’s Prime Minister Viktor Orban welcomed Israeli Prime Minister and ICC fugitive Benjamin Netanyahu to Budapest.

Netanyahu’s visit to Hungary marked the first time the Israeli leader stepped foot on European soil since the ICC issued an arrest warrant against him in May 2024.

The court said it had “reasonable grounds” to believe Netanyahu bears criminal responsibility for war crimes including “starvation as a method of warfare” and “the crimes against humanity of murder, persecution, and other inhumane acts.”