Netanyahu can be arrested if he got here to Hungary, says new PM
Hungarian prime minister Peter Magyar has warned his Israeli counterpart, Benjamin Netanyahu, that he will be arrested if he sets foot in the country.
Mr Magyar, who will bring an end to Viktor Orban’s 16-year tenure as leader of Hungary, said he will halt the country’s planned withdrawal from the International Criminal Court (ICC).
Hungarian authorities would therefore be obliged to detain Mr Netanyahu, who has been wanted by the ICC for alleged war crimes in Gaza since November 2024, if he enters the country.
“I believe that if the country is a member of the International Criminal Court, and a person who is wanted by the court enters our territory, then that person must be taken into custody,” Mr Magyar told a news briefing, in reference to Mr Netanyahu.
It comes despite claims by Israel that Mr Magyar, who won a landslide election against Mr Orban earlier this month, had invited Mr Netanyahu to “participate in a ceremony commemorating the 70th anniversary of the Hungarian uprising”.
He is seeking to overturn a decision made by Orban’s nationalist Fidesz party to withdraw from the ICC, in protest against the warrant for his Israeli ally.
The decision was due to take effect on 2 June, and would make Hungary the only EU country that does not recognise the court’s jurisdiction.
But Magyar has announced he will halt the ICC withdrawal before this date.
“I made this clear to the Israeli prime minister as well,” Magyar told reporters. “It is the Tisza government’s firm intention to stop this and ensure that Hungary remains a member of the ICC.”
Some countries have argued they can remain ICC members without enforcing the arrest warrants.
France argued that arresting Netanyahu would contravene existing agreements it holds with Israel, while Germany’s former chancellor, Olaf Scholz, said in April 2025 that he could not imagine his country carrying out the arrest.
Italy also announced it would not enforce arrest warrants against the Israeli prime minister and former defence minister Yoav Gallant, for whom a warrant was also issued.
A legal advisory from Italy’s Foreign and Justice Ministries confirmed that immunity for visiting leaders is permissible under the Vienna Convention.
Source: independent.co.uk
