Netanyahu could be arrested if he visits Hungary

Peter Magyar, leader of the Tisza Party who won the parliamentary elections held in Hungary on April 12, announced that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, who is subject to an arrest warrant issued by the International Criminal Court (ICC), must be arrested if he comes to the country.

Magyar, who ended the 16-year rule of Prime Minister Viktor Orban—a strong ally of Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu in Europe—reaffirmed that he would reverse Prime Minister Orban's move to withdraw the country from the ICC. Magyar stated that he would halt his country's withdrawal process from the ICC by June 2.

Magyar, who announced that he aims to stop the withdrawal process from the ICC initiated by Hungary under Orban's leadership before the one-year period is completed, was faced with questions from journalists about what this decision would mean for Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu, who plans to visit Hungary in the autumn.

Responding to the journalists' question, Magyar said, "I have clearly expressed this to the Israeli Prime Minister. The Tisza government is determined to stop this process and ensure that Hungary remains a member of the ICC. If a country is a member of the ICC and a person wanted by the ICC enters your territory, that person must be detained."

Orban did not implement the ICC decision and hosted Netanyahu in Budapest

The ICC, the UN court that tries genocide and war crimes, issued an arrest warrant for Netanyahu in November 2024 for war crimes and crimes against humanity committed in Gaza.

On the other hand, Hungarian Prime Minister Orban had invited Netanyahu, who was subjected to international isolation, to the capital Budapest and announced before the visit that his country would withdraw from the ICC. The Hungarian government refused to arrest the Israeli leader during his visit to Budapest in April 2025, even though the country was still a member of the court at the time, and Orban had given Netanyahu a guarantee of immunity.

Hungary's Prime Minister-elect Magyar had announced after his election victory that his country might no longer veto the EU's sanctions decisions against radical Israeli settlers.

News Source: 12punto