(CNN) — 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 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.”
The ICC doesn’t have its own law enforcement powers, so it relies on its member states to make arrests and transfer suspects to the Hague. As a signatory, Hungary is obliged to arrest Netanyahu.
If it goes through with the withdrawal, Hungary will become the only European Union country not to be part of the ICC. Israel is not part of the court, alongside the United States, China, Russia, Saudi Arabia and other countries.
This is a developing story.
The-CNN-Wire
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